NYC Journal

Retirement is fun, but to make the most of it a lot of thinking is required that involves self-reflection.

I narrowed down to wanting a Hobie because of reputation, the peddle drive, and the ergonomics of buying a car-topper which I think will encourage it’s use and value.

Then I looked into buying used, but the updated features of the newer models are enough of an upgrade to discount the older ones where they might not be in the picture anymore. The new flipper drive has a feature where the flippers fold/collapse to prevent damage. The longer “Turbo” fins come standard that allow for higher speeds.

I love that this is a one man rig for the privacy and solitude. I also want to void buying more than I need. I have selected a Hobie “Outback” which is 12 feet 9 inches and weighs about 100 pounds rigged. The total capacity including the hull is 375 pounds, and know I only weigh about 150-155 pounds. Two rods and some tackle and I’m good to go.

I determined that the $30.00 surf rod to be useful requires a spinning reel, but I discovered that Van Staal high end reels designed specifically for surf casting in the Northeast are now make in China. This kinda became a deal killer for me because a small Van Staal reel is about $800.00.

For me it is like buying a Rolex no longer made in Switzerland verses a Rolex made in China.

I looked into the Penn “Authourity” that is submersible, sealed, and features 13 eagled bearings and the same drag system as used on the Penn Internationals for off shore fishing. Also made in China.

Then in my wandering I discovered Seigler a conventional reel maker who makes a trick CNC’ed “Small Game Narrow” conventional reel with a lever drag like an off shore reel that retails for only $400.00.

The small Van Staal I was interested in weighs about 3/4’ers of a pound, and the Seigler only 11.2 ounce. The updated trend is in lighter rods and reels because this encourages longer days of fishing and also more fun.

So the Jersey Shore helped me get to where I need to be. The narrow spool on the Seigler I already know is an advantage over the Daiwa Millionaire Tournament to prevent tangles and backlashes. The 7 foot Fenwick casting rod is still a very fine rig with the Diana Tournament reel, but that rod can be great for live lining and chunking bait because it has a fast tip and is designed to lobe up to 3 ounce weights.

In my research I learned that using 3 ounce pyramid sinkers on fish finder rigs is used in the stripped bass spring run in the Hudson River. Basically the Strippers chase the Herring up the Hudson till the dam in Troy. The new Fenwick rod I bought is perfect for chunking bait or live lining.

So the gear I’m buying is kind of an investment in myself, and the idea is not to cheap-out and buy to be “one and done.” Another way to frame this is to spend my money once with no reason to upgrade.

Because I have the skill to utilize a conventional reel I can avoid subsidizing the Chinese economy and avoid the evil that comes from cheap imports that have very real consequences.

I learned that if a kayak is stored where the sun shines on it, that the plastic can soften and structural damage occurs. So pretty much if I go used it would have to be a pristine one that was either garaged or covered. This promotes buying new. I have a hip-roof in my garage that utilizes no joists, so it would be pretty easy to devise a pulley with cleats to suspend the Hobie in unused space. EZ-PZ and for free.

So the thinking and planning is happening as the heavy lifting on the house has happened. Just one more contracting job left and that is removing a structural wall to join the tower room to the second largest bedroom to make a master’s suite. That should happen next month.

Cal
 
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Cal there is a brand of American made reels called IRT Reels. They are also CNC'd. Pretty solid, and good looking. I have the smallest one - the 200 which I bought some years ago. I think the one to get now is the 300 UL, which has the same body as the 200 but with bigger capacity spool. There's also the 300XL which sounds very similar to the 300UL, so much so that I can't tell the difference. They are designed for inshore and dinghy fishing.
 
Pete,

In doing more research I found Avet and Accurate.

IMHO this trend of smaller lighter tackle pushes the envelope on drag systems and gears. Seems like stainless steel gears and oversized shafts and mucho bearings are required.

For me the key is getting the most durable drag and not crossing the line as far as a reel’s capabilities.

At the price point of a Van Stall spinning reel I could buy a Alutecnos Albacore Gorilla 1-speed reel that comes from Italy. The model 8C costs $799.99 in silver or gold and has a 40 pound lever drag and can handle 500 yards of 50 pound test. It weighs 20.5 ounces, has 6 bearings and a fast retrieve of 6.2:1. Basically this is a reel for 50-80 pound Tuna and is overkill for inshore fishing unless I get lucky and hook a 50-80 pound stripper.

The reel I found that is the most appealing is an Accurate Boss Valiant BV-500N made in the USA. It has a 30 pound drag and is rated best in class. 325 yards of 50 pound braid. The reel only weighs 14.5 ounces. 9 bearings, 6.1:1 gearing, and 45 inches per revolution of the crank. The “N” is the narrow version which is favored for jigging, but also great for a surf caster because it is easier to lay the line neater to avoid backlashes.

The non “N” version has a wider spool and weighs 15.4 ounces, but has a line capacity of 375 yard of 65 pound braid. Pretty much this crosses over to off-shore fishing. Then there is a two-speed option on this model that weighs 17 ounces. Hmmm…

Don’t know how far I want to go, but any of the Accurate BV-500’s could serve inshore or offshore. The Fenwick casting rod I just bought has a fast action and it is designed for 30-65 pound braid, where 50 pound is close to being in the middle.

From my research the Avet reels approach the hairy edge of drag performance. Accurate seems to have a smoother and beefier drag system and their gear offerings seem to favor and include the offshore crowd.

I don’t think I want to exceed 50 pound braid. I spooled 65 pound braid for the thicker line for fear of birds nests, but 50 pound I think I could manage well.

Right now there is a silver and red Accurate BV-500”N” available for $539.99. This compares well with a Daiwa Saltiga SAGLD35H which can handle 330 yards of 65 pound test has a 40 pound drag, but weighs 23.1 ounces. Retrieve is comparable.

Less money than a Van Staal spinner leaving me about $250.00 to spend on a not too expensive spinning reel for surf casting for the Tsunamii 10 foot 2-piece rod I own. In the past I favored 1-piece rods and my surf casting rod was a 1-piece 10 footer. Used a rather large Daiwa BG-60 spinning reel.

I can see how braid and smaller lighter gear is appealing. I’m not expected to be going Tuna fishing, but it would be great to have offshore capabilities. I know if I call my friend Rich, I would get invites to go sharking and tuna fishing again every weekend.

“Maggie” would not like me disappearing for 2-3 days at a time and basically leaving the country because I’d be in the shipping lanes offshore.

I also wonder if I could still use the Daiwa Millionaire Tournament on the surf rod. I could change the guides because I use to build custom rods.

I need to now go back and look at the Seigler’s, but I think the Accurate kinda outclasses Seigler. $400.00 verses $539.99 is not a big difference in price, and I think the more robust build and engineering is worth the price of admission. Seigler is a very small company in Virginia. Accurate is a bigger company. Seigler is kinda hand built and is art-C, but Accurate is a bigger company on the top of the game.

Anyways kinda fun while watching the grandson who is now 9 1/2 months old. He looks to be ready for walking. He pulls himself up and crashes a lot. He needs careful watching because he likes to explore and get into things.

Cal
 
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It seems the Accurate BV-500 “N” is ideal for my needs if I favor a 30 pound drag, and still the reel weighs under a pound. WOW. Perhaps the only thing bad is the cost.

At this time of year and because of shortages supply is limited.

There is a version that lacks a clicker for a style of Pacific jigging, but had a longer handle and a really elegant knob. I might go this route. Maybe-maybe…

Watched a video from the Philippines where this guy fought and landed a good sized Wahoo (a member of the tuna family) using 20 pound test and a small Accurate BV-300. This battle spoke and told me a lot about how smooth the drag must be. I was impressed.

$539.99…

The BV-500N is for a heavier rig and fishing ant to me is a bit of a meat stick with 325 yards 50 pound braid, but it also can serve offshore. Hmmm… Might I want a two-speed version for when a fish dives in deep water? Hmmm…

Next is to look into a BV-400 which has the same line capacity as the BV-500N width the narrower spool (325 Yards 50 Pound Braid), but this reel only has a 25 pound drag.

So this leads to a BV-400N with a narrow spool. With a lighter drag I say a lighter line is in order to gain capacity back. This is going to a more “inshore” style rig where perhaps 30 pound braid would be good and better balanced. A surprise big fish surely would be a challenge. Also thinner lines catch the tide and currents less allowing for lighter sinkers and a better feel for the bottom. This is more like my style. Kind of a “skinny-bitch” setup.

30 pound braid would be on lightest line recommended yet my new Fenwick 7 foot rod can still throw 3 ounce sinkers which are required for fishing bait on the Hudson River. The thinner line might allow me to use a 2 1/2 ounce sinker or even a 2 ounce sinker for chunking. Thinner line allows for less wind resistance and results in longer casts, but the trade off is that back lashes might become more prone. Oh-well…

The Hobie Outback will happen sometime in the future, but pretty much I might just fish from the shore in the meantime. The lighter rig kinda gets favored, and perhaps also later would be a bigger Accurate reel and likely another rod.

Cal
 
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I got “Brushed” today. This scam is where someone gets your name and address so they can send you an item and then because of tracking of delivery can claim that you are a verified buyer. Then comes the stellar review which of course is fabricated.

Of course I did not order this item.

In the mail today (USPS) I got a men’s Cartier ring, but it is obviously not a $3800.00 dollar ring. Came boxed with a blank certificate of authenticity, and a Cartier bag. All the quality was not present in the packaging. Really obvious fake and has “Made in China” kinda written all over it.

Checked my credit cards anyways…

Cal
 
I checked and there is no Accurate BV-400”N.”

I will get the BV-500”N” with the bigger 30 pound drag. Same line capacity anyways, but a heavier drag. Also the narrow spool is good ergonomics for me to make it easy to keep my line tidy and neat when spooling.

So now I’m searching for availability, color selection, and price.

$539.99 for a silver one

$549.99 four an evil gun metal black one

or $559.99 for a silver “Slow-Pitch-Jigging” version with the longer handle and cool knob. The thing with this model is that it lacks a clicker for bait fishing like chunking or live lining.

Silver works for me, but the trade off is a clicker or a longer handle with a cool knob… Black is evil…

The longer crank handle and knob makes the small reel a bit of a monster…

Cal
 
I just ordered the matte black one. A surprise was that this is a custom colored reel, and the last one. A bonus was free shipping, and double bonus was no tax.

There was a disclaimer that the buyer is responsible for taxes. Ha-ha. Basically no tax. Ha-ha again.

The biggest surprise though was that this evil black BV-500N is a SPJ (Slow-Pitch Jigging) version that has the monster handle and the mucho cool knob.

Know that the crank arm and knob are muy oversized. A true monster to bolster my reputation.

I think I will name this reel “The Devil Dan” after my friend. It was his evil idea. Somehow I ended up getting a custom color. Know that this SPJ version of the BV-500N is pretty new production, and it is normally limited to just the plain silver finish.
Meanwhile the BV-500N comes in array of colors.

”Mighty cool,” I say, and happy-happy.

Evil Calvin
 
Con Ed has spent the last three days replacing infrastructure like street shutoff valves and moving meters to the exterior of two of my neighbor’s homes. The new meters are also upgraded at this time to smart meters, if elected.

I believe eventually the main supply line under the street will be replaced. The reason for all this work is that there is a chronic problem with leaks as the original infrastructure exceeds a hundred years old. Two of my neighbors had gas leaks. One was in the house at the meter and was a real emergency; the other was outside at the street shutoff valve.

It was over a year ago I was solicited to have my meter moved to the exterior of my home for free. Maybe two years ago…

I kinda have a funky system where I have hookups for two meters even though our house is not a two family. Pretty much one meter is for the natural gas stove, and the other for a natural gas hot water heater.

Know that I have a gas hot water heater still, but it is valves off and is not used because my oil furnace has a tankless hot water heater that works really well. Eventually I’ll “86” the gas hot water heater and cement patch the hole in the chimney for the exhaust.

One of the gas meters is removed and the lines capped off.

Eventually I want to get an 18KW generator that will get fueled with natural gas. I already talked with a generator installer and I need a larger meter. When I consulted with Con Ed they said that I would have to pay for the meter to be upgraded, but now I think I will be getting that upgrade for free when they install my new meter.

A steel construction plate is in the road in front of my house right next to my meter. I believe our house is next. Some of my neighbors are not having their meters moved/upgraded. One because the connection involves a porch that was just replaced. Oh-well…

Let’s see if I have my way or if I have to have one of my “Huss-E-fits” that my friends say is worse than a woman. LOL.

Anyways I already kinda worked this out with the project manager, the one that gave me a cubic yard of clean fill. I expect a new upgraded meter with the capacity I need for free.

Let’s see…

Cal
 
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Did you know that the Hudson River is basically a very long Fjord that was created by a glacier? It is also a very long estuary that has an average tide of 4 feet and stretches 153 miles from the dam in Troy next to Albany all the way to NYC. The river flows north to south, and south to north, meaning it flows both ways.

The shipping channel as a minimum depth of 30 feet by one source, and 32 feet from another source, but the deepest part of the Hudson is in a place called “The World’s End” near Gee’s Point, Constitution Island, and West Point. This is a narrow point in the Hudson Highlands.

The widest part of the Hudson is around Haverstraw on the west side and Croton on the east side that spans 3 miles. This large “bay” is fed by the Croton River. Further up the river there is a narrower bay in Peekskill just before the beginning of the Hudson Highlands that opens up the narrow section of the Hudson that emerges from the Hudson Highlands.

I have been studying the geography from the stand point of the spring striped bass run (April first till mid June) when the bass spawn.

Under the Bear Mountain Bridge, just north of Peekskill, is another deep channel. The deep water off West Point is another deep section where bass would congregate, but Bear Mountain is very close to me, although West Point is not far at all. Hmmm…

Pretty much north of Tappan Zee Bridge on the river is where the serious fishing begins and further north. Most of the shallow areas are muddy, but the channels for the shipping lane is sandy.

Then there are all the creeks and brooks that feed into the Hudson. Within walking distance from my Baby-Victorian is Dickey Brook that feeds into a marshy cove that has a name…, and on the north end of the city is the Annsville Creek. I can see fishing these on an ebb tide when the drainage should encourage bass to gather and feed as food gets delivered by the tidal change.

Of course time of day matters with darkness and perhaps two hours before and after dawn and dusk being the best times. They also say May is the best month, optimum water temperature 55-68 degrees, and hot spots are some of the larger tributary’s like Rondout, Esopus, and Catskills creeks.

Below Peekskill is the Croton River, and then my Dickey Brook and Annsville Creek, small but enough to draw in migrating fish that are in full spawn mode. Croton and Haverstraw Bay is a place where huge schools of bunker can be found, but in the spawn it seems Herring is the preferred bait.

The Fenwick rod has a heavy action. Good for casting and jigging, but not the best for live bait or chunking. This stiff tip also would be great for a “worm-rod.”

I’m glad I have this rig, and it is great for what it is, but I need a rod with a soft tip and moderate action for bait fishing with circle hooks. My new reel is coming and it has a lever drag and is designed for slow-pitch jigging. The rods for slow-pitch jigging have soft tips, and they also have longer versions that are 8 feet long. The longer versions are used for a variation of SPJ called “Long-Fall.”

The idea of these “long-fall” jigging rods is to incite a strike by imitating a dying or wounded baitfish. The pull on the jig is long and the idea of the soft tip is to maintain line tension as to not loose the feel of the jig flutter on the descent. The reason why this is needed is because most strikes occurred on the fall.

This is the same for SPJ but the long-fall is a variation where the fall is extended. Both technics are to resemble an injured, wounded, or dieing baitfish.

It just so happens that these long-fall rods can also double as great stick bait rods. The law requires use of “circle” hooks to prevent fish mortality that is cause by the use of standard “J” hooks. The way circle hooks work is that a fish will inhale a bait, swim off, and then get hooked in the lip preventing gut or throat hookups.

A stiff tip will alarm a bass, and they will spit the bait. The nice thing about circle hooks is that if you wait and don’t jerk the rod to set the hook, the fish will do it and set the hook upon itself. EZ-PZ, but you need a soft tip…

In the Hudson you are allowed to keep one striper per day, but it has to be in between 18-28 inches. Smaller and larger have to be released. Large bass are the “Cow” female bass that have more eggs the bigger they are. Most trophy sized bass are females. Oh-well… Required to save the fishery, but also know the better eating bass are the smaller ones.

So now I am researching long-fall rods that are 8 feet. I’m talking getting close to $400.00 for a nice one. The design is light and strong. I think I favor not the most expensive one, the difference is only $30.00, but I do favor a one piece rod. Also Accurate makes a long-fall rod that balances well with their reels. I have three to pick from, all a good/great, but which one would be best for me? Not about the money.

I have to look into this more. Also I figured out that the money has to come from somewhere, and that getting the Hobie Outback fishing kayak is a luxury at this time, but at some point I will get one even if I have to rob some 7-11’s. LOL.

The long-fall jigging is deadly off-shore in deep water.

When I was a surf caster on Long Island I studied the NOAH charts to ID the channels and structure of the bottom. Knowing the geography was a great asset. Like they say 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish.

So one rod is stiff, and the other soft. I need both. The 10 foot surf rod I’ll leave on the side. Only paid $30.00 and I could easily get my money back.

Anyways digging in and learning a lot.

Cal
 
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Some of my photo’s will get published in “Maggie’s” book, about 1 shot per chapter. Also it seems it will also be published as an audio book.

In the past I built my own rods from components. Pretty much a custom rods. I like the idea of a one-piece rod, and one of the rod makers sells the graphite blank for a rod that has a medium light power that is well suited for what I need. I want a soft tip and moderate action. This rod has some backbone as well and can handle lines between 15-40 pound.

The length is 7’10” so the added length makes it in the realm of a short surf rod, but also a rather long boat rod. The blank is designed for long-fall jigging, but also would be a good bait stick to use with circle hooks.

From experience there really is no cost savings, especially if I upgrade the guides, but I end up with a custom rod with upgrades that otherwise would cost mucho. I think this is the way to go. The Mud Hole tackle supply sells the blank for $189.00 alone. Guides, grips, and a reel seat I expect to be around $200.00 so basically a $400.00 rod ( my cost).

I think I want to add a trigger reel seat, know on factory rods the reel seats are longer than needed, and I will likely trim mine down to minimize weight.

Thinking of adding a gimble on the butt end just in case I want to use a belt, and know that because I have narrow shoulders that commercially bought rods have handles that are too long for me. The bonus in effect would be a slightly longer rod that would be a longer lever for distance casting.

Pretty much I’m building a rod that would be a really good all-rounder for my needs: jigging, bait, live lining, bottom fishing, and well suited for beach/shore, boat/kayak. I still have the new Fenwick HMG rod that has a heavy action and a fast taper, plus the Daiwa Millionaire Tournement which still is a killer reel.

In the past I had a very light short spinning rod that pretty much bent like a noodle with any decent sized fish. Once when flounder fishing I hooked into a 5-7 pound Blackfish. What a tug of war. The rod bent in half. Pretty much I want this type of moderate action in the tip of a much longer rod for versatility.

My heavy rod for 3/4 ounce to 3 ounces, and a lighter rod for 1/2 ounce to 2 ounces. Pretty much all I need.

Thinking of eventually changing the line on the Daiwa from 65 pound braid to perhaps 50. 65 pound braid is the max rating, and a lighter line will add some distance to my casts.

The new custom color Accurate BV-500N (matte black) will be delivered Tuesday. This is a very compact reel and it only weighs about a pound, but it also has a 30 pound drag and mucho line capacity so it has legs for Tuna fishing or deep sea jigging. For off-shore I likely would require a heavier rod for long-fall jigging, but the same reel would be used.

Plan “B” would be to just transfer the jigging reel to my heavy rod that could handle the heavier weights of off shore jigs.

How cool is that?

Tommy Emanuel is going to perform at the Paramount Theater in Peekskill. This venue is an old Art Deco movie theater, so the space is kinda intimate to an extent. Looking forward to September 15th. I’ll likely buy an extra ticket for my friend Tim. My guess that seating might be about 700.

I think I want to upgrade the guides to a”K” style Fuji guide but made silicone carbide hardened rings. “One and done,” they say.

Cal
 
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The fine print in an e-mail for the photos for each chapter will be printed in B&W, but almost all are color shots. These translated images kinda destroy the content. “Maggie” is not happy about this, and neither am I.

So this is something to fight about.

Spent the day pulling Knotweed. Because of graduation parties and having to do the family thing at the Jersey Shore a bit of a thicket was forming. I was concerned because of the delay in attack, but I learned that the Knotweed is seriously weakened. On most the pulling was more of a plucking and a surprising amount came roots and all.

I seriously massacred a lot of Knotweed today. The marsh grass advanced further and is thickening, it even jumped up onto my ledge.

The weather was good for weeding, a high in the low seventies so I could wear jeans and boots to protect myself from ticks. Tomorrow it will be warmer, so I’m glad I got this chore out of my way.

No Con Ed work on my street the past few days, but I think my house is next. A big steel construction plate was left in the street right in front of my house.

In my basement I have one location in my main basement where there is a lack of plumbing in the joists. There is one obstruction and that is a natural gas pipe that runs to the unused hot water heater. In my house the hot water had its own separate meter, and the stove also has its own meter.

I know kinda odd, but since my oil furnace has a tankless hot water feature, my thinking is that If I ask, when they move my hopefully larger meter to the exterior of the house that I can ask for them not to add the gas hot water heater to the circuit.

Pretty much I will then be able to safely strip out the unused natural gas pipe, cut the water lines that are already valves off, and then get rid of the hot water heater. Know I would have to seal the vent hole from the water heater that is in the chimney.

Now without this gas pipe it is a lot easier to construct my darkroom. Basically a freestanding 4 walls because of the hot water manifold for the radiators and the oil tank interference. The gas pipe hangs below the joists and I would have had to build around the pipe or lower the darkroom’s ceiling.

Almost like divine intervention again. Free larger meter so I can feed an 18KW generator, and now getting assistance in building out my darkroom. Don’t forget the free cubic yard of clean fill supplied by Con Ed.

The grandson is now 9 1/2 months old and very close to walking. This kid needs a constant careful eye.

Next week we will be taking care of also the 9 year old grand daughter. School is over for her. Lucky us. She is very high maintenance…

Cal
 
Looking forward to getting the custom colored “evil” matte black Accurate BV-500N-SPJ reel. In hand I want to see how big or small it is. It weighs about a pound and the Daiwa Millionaire Tournament weighs only about 11 ounces. Kinda small. Delivery is still expected Tuesday.

I figure the spool on the BV-500 will be a larger diameter and also has a 45 inch per crank turn retrieve.

I want to see how it fits and feels on the Fenwick rod. Might be good to go, or perhaps the BV-500N can serve more than one rod.

An idea is to set a rod holder on a bike so I can bike and fish. The Hudson River is so close and nearby.

I retrieved my old Domke book bag that I used for my Leicas. This kinda makes for a great surf bag for my jigs. Glad I can recycle it.

Seems like we will missed a gig and a trip to Berlin for a shoe brand that I also use and wear. Our agent had us lined up, but because of childcare we can’t take the gig. No worries because our agent works with this brand a lot so in the future there will be other gigs.

I could use extra cash to build out my truck and for a Hobie Outback fishing kayak.

I had to weed wack the lawn’s high spots that are too tall for my human powered push mower. The Jersey Shore lost weekend, childcare, and graduations, as well as rainy weather prevented me from grooming our lawns. I kinda made up for it today and neatened everything up. Even the rain made mowing the lawn delayed…

Some animal, I suspect a deer, toppled over a 12 foot sapling on my “landing” by the marsh grass. The trunk was damaged enough that I cut the tree down because it infringed onto the marsh grass. Yesterday this tree was fine when I was Knot weeding.

I can see gaining enough height in my fall leaf harvest to hide the chain link fence down by the “landing.” Parts already are buried by mulch, tree branches, and leaves. When I pulled up knotweed I saw an abundance of fat juicy worms. Between the weeding and lawn care catchup I am really tired.

I moved two large logs into my back-backyard to practice log hopping at mucho slow speeds. Better to crash onto soft grass rather than blacktop. I have enough scars already. One log I further elevated with cinder blocks. Log hopping is a great skill to have. The tall/elevated height is almost knee high.

Cal
 
My trusted Mac Book Pro is dead. Ran an old version of Lightroom 5.

Does not turn on, and it seems the battery won’t take a charge. Shorted battery from non-use and neglect…

My backup is the smaller IMAC desktop, which I wished was a larger IMAC to match my 27 inch EIZO calibrated monitor. Might be a good time to upgrade to a larger desk top.

I have my IPAD for Internet, and I like not having my Photography Computer not online and to be dedicated for sole use for photography.

My digital printing has been waysided for close to 3 years. The Jersey Barrier is stored with Piezoflush which has been a very long time. Hopefully my printer still works. I had replaced the dampers. Electronics age, but then again the Epson 7800 and 7880 are work horses.

Looks like the space where I can easily make a free standing darkroom is a space about 8x12. I’l have an 82 inch ceiling height as a limitation. Oh-well. Not even a 7 foot ceiling.

About the only good thing is that the plumbing is nearby… The porch basement is also small and with an even lower ceiling…

The attic would be a not so bad space for my 300B single ended triode tube stereo, my electric guitars and amps, and for my digital studio for printing. I forgot my JUKI commercial sewing machine.

So depending on if my printer survived, I don’t know if I will keep on printing digitally. Analog, digital, a hybrid, or both discreetly. Hmmm. Pretty much going pure analog would be less hassle and EZ-PZ. Don’t forget that I have a complete darkroom as far as equipment already, and an archive of a disappearing NYC pre-Covid.

Devil Christian’s influence has me thinking of mass printing of images and struggling with editing. Also John G’s influence of creating a book or books. Lots of small prints to get my analog chops back, and then cultivate analog fine art printing from there, using the small prints as test prints.

Create a “boxed” editing style/method and then be able to do a “floor” layout to get the big picture to see everything all at once. A lot to obsess about which is fun for me. I escape reality and create my own obsessive universe.

Cal
 
A nice 2 hour cruise in the woods at Blue Mountain Preserve. I mostly stayed on the gentler trails, but there are interspersed crazy technical sections even on the less rocky and rooty trails. Pretty much you can still break your teeth or loosen your caps.

I discovered that on the climbs my position is too far forward where the steering gets too twitchy and sensitive. I rolled the handlebars back to exploit some backsweep. Now the bike has a very light end on climbs, so much of my body weight is right over the rear tire for traction, which is what you want on a climb for enhanced traction, but the front wheel gets so unweighted that I have to lean forward to keep the front wheel down because it wants to wheelie.

Catching the right balance is tricky. Anyways learned a lot today.

I might want to mount this Arrow Racing 24 inch tire I have that is kinda square shouldered. The tire has deep knobs and is wider than the 2.1 wide Schwable Rocket Ron which is a light tire for racing. The Arrow Racing just barely fits in the frame, and I used this as my Trials tire. Too bad it is no longer available.

I’m kinda loving the steel IBIS for Blue Mountain because it is really optimized for the rugged terrain. Also I figure 21-22 PSI tire pressure on the rear with tubes, and only 20 on the front tire which is a 2.35 width.

Ends up being a dream bike. Today is a day that will likely be what happens after June is over: basically a morning ride every day. The IBIS is a bike that utilizes and exploits upper body strength. Pretty much set for using your entire body as a lever, and promotes pushing a bigger gear and standing.

Because I’m a skinny bitch this is my style. Getting back into riding again feels great.

Cal
 
Calzone said:
My trusted Mac Book Pro is dead. Ran an old version of Lightroom 5.

Does not turn on, and it seems the battery won’t take a charge. Shorted battery from non-use and neglect…

My backup is the smaller IMAC desktop, which I wished was a larger IMAC to match my 27 inch EIZO calibrated monitor. Might be a good time to upgrade to a larger desk top.

I have my IPAD for Internet, and I like not having my Photography Computer not online and to be dedicated for sole use for photography.

My digital printing has been waysided for close to 3 years. The Jersey Barrier is stored with Piezoflush which has been a very long time. Hopefully my printer still works. I had replaced the dampers. Electronics age, but then again the Epson 7800 and 7880 are work horses.

Looks like the space where I can easily make a free standing darkroom is a space about 8x12. I’l have an 82 inch ceiling height as a limitation. Oh-well. Not even a 7 foot ceiling.

About the only good thing is that the plumbing is nearby… The porch basement is also small and with an even lower ceiling…

The attic would be a not so bad space for my 300B single ended triode tube stereo, my electric guitars and amps, and for my digital studio for printing. I forgot my JUKI commercial sewing machine.

So depending on if my printer survived, I don’t know if I will keep on printing digitally. Analog, digital, a hybrid, or both discreetly. Hmmm. Pretty much going pure analog would be less hassle and EZ-PZ. Don’t forget that I have a complete darkroom as far as equipment already, and an archive of a disappearing NYC pre-Covid.

Devil Christian’s influence has me thinking of mass printing of images and struggling with editing. Also John G’s influence of creating a book or books. Lots of small prints to get my analog chops back, and then cultivate analog fine art printing from there, using the small prints as test prints.

Create a “boxed” editing style/method and then be able to do a “floor” layout to get the big picture to see everything all at once. A lot to obsess about which is fun for me. I escape reality and create my own obsessive universe.

Cal
Click to expand...

Quit bitching Cal, my darkroom only has a 77" ceiling!
 
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