Winter Pond Life

I was passing by when I noticed two swans in the pond. I was going to keep driving but then thought, 'let's see what pictures I can get'. By the time I was ready to snap some photos the swans had decided to get on the ice. Actually a better scene. But you can't ask them to 'look this way', or, 'move a little to the left'. So, you wait for the best picture you can get, and, then take lots of them.


They did cooperate, to a degree, and there will be more opportunities.

Lost opportunities

Consider this, how many times have you missed a good photo opportunity because you either were not prepared or you did not have a camera with you? Allow me to describe one non-event that I still think about, even though it happened many years ago.

I was traveling through Worcester county, it was one of those cloudy, damp days when it threatened to rain at any moment. As I was entering rotary (roundabout) traffic, I saw a ballon vendor who had setup a roadside stand. I don't remember the occasion but apparently there was to be a parade that day.

What was so poignant was the scene of this lonely vendor hunkered down trying to stay dry and warm on a rather dismal day. Yet there were the brightly colored balloons that stood out against the backdrop of various shades of grey. It was one of those occasions when a picture would have been worth a thousand words. My description does not do justice to the scene that became a lost opportunity.

Touring - Camping

Circumstances prevent me from being active in bicycle touring/camping. For the present I can only read what others are doing and dream, hope, and be prepared; the internet has a wealth of information in all manner of subjects.

For instance, consider the the alcohol stove used in lightweight backpacking. The more one searches for information the more you learn about the advantages and, of course, the disadvantages. I will not present the arguments here but there are some links that have good explanations: http://www.interfree.it/index.html also
http://zenstoves.net

You will discover that alcohol stoves are a good Do It Yourself project, in some cases it has become a cottage industry. The design and building has become an addiction for some. If you do not want to build your own stove there are plenty of designs available that are reasonbly priced.

What is fascinating about bike touring/backpacking is that it does not have to cost a lot of money. I'm not saying that you should or could make your own shoes/boots but there are many items of gear that are good candidates for the DIYer. Do some searches, you may be pleasantly surprised.

The day the blog began

After a little prodding from Denise Goldberg, I decided to give it a try and start blogging.

Not much to say right now but, we'll see what happens when I have 

the time and something to say.

 

For now, a thought for the day: It is not every question that deserves an answer