I’ve yet to get away from the city on my Et4. It seems there is always something holding me here. Fortunately, I can read your blog and experience some of what i’m missing… even if vicariously.

Though I’ve not taken a formal photo class, I learned to shoot using an old Nikon FE2. I loved that camera, easy to use, simple, taught me a little about how to take a good picture. I traded it for a Nikon 6006 for the auto focus (my eyes needed a little help). The auto camera just isn’t as good as the old mechanical one. I miss it.

After spending more money on film and developing than I can admit to, I finally left the film world. After much research on the internet, visiting camera shops until they started giving me dirty looks, and generally making myself a nuisance, I settled on a panasonic fxo1. I was impressed with the Leica lens (24mm – really wide) and a 16×9 size photo for landscapes. It doesn’t do so well on auto, but allows me enough manual function and freedom to take better shots than I ever have.

Your photography centers the reader in your blog. My eye keeps going back to the rural Pennsylvania you document so reflectively. One can almost feel the cool, wet fog on their skin, smell the sweet river water, hear the buzz of cicada…

You’ll inspire me to move from the city one of these days..

I ride my P125X on off-road trails every chance I get. Not motocross trails, mind you, but simple farm roads and wagon paths.

…not that there are many of those in this overgrown urban area where I live.

Being able to ride off-road is a side-benefit of two wheeled transport.

Jef

To answer your question about my son: Dave is doing well in college, works too many hours at Target to earn his spending money, and I suspect is still having more fun than he ought to be having.

One of my measures of adult behavior is how one treats other humans, especially children and the elderly. Dave had better be doing good there because I’m pretty sure I could still wup him in a fight.

Doug

mike: Thanks for the compliments on the photography. I use two different cameras depending on the weather and how much stuff I am dragging along with me.

When the weather is bad or really wet I use a small Canon S50 digital camera. If fits in my pocket and produces a 5 megapixel image. More and more though I am taking a Nikon SLR with me. Those are almost always made with a zoom lens.

anonymous: Thanks for the heads up on Whywork.org. Interesting site.

doug: Some days it is harder to know when to act like an adult. Was that wisdom embraced by your son?

Doug