2000th Post

This is the 2000th post to my blog.  I started back in the summer of 2010.  For the first decade or so, I posted something every two or three days.  Since I retired, I've been posting almost every day.  Over the entire time, I have had over 173.000 page views.  Its probably just the same twenty or thirty people coming back and looking every couple of days.... but it's not really about the statistics.

Thanks to everyone that takes the time to come and look at all the mindless shit that I write.  It helps me to stay organized, and serves as a reference for me to look things up.  If others appreciate it too... that's just a bonus.  Unless I get death threats, or a court order, I'll carry on.....

It's kind of fitting that this milestone is reached on the last day of 2021.  Here's hoping that this crazy pandemic comes to an end, and that 2022 turns out to be a lot better than the past couple of years....!!

Happy New Year...!!

Table and Broom

Although this is a nice image, I sort of messed it up.  I did some kind of wonky movements on the camera, which threw the newspapers and the upper part of the image out of focus.  I was trying to hold the focus throughout, because the headlines on that old newspaper spoke of the FLQ crisis in Quebec and the kidnapping of Pierre Laporte.  This dates back to the very early 1970's.

Arturo and I were out on a day trip in East Central Alberta and discovered this old place.  It was empty, except for what you see in this image.  This one was also from the recent mixed batch and was Ilford FP4 given plus development in Kodak HC-110 developer.

Extreme Cold

Overnight on Boxing Day the temperature dropped down to -40C.  This tied the record set last January for the coldest temperature ever recorded on my weather station.  The propane fired room furnaces all froze up over night, leaving us only the wood stove for heat.  In the morning I tried to light the oven to bake some fresh buns.  But the propane seems to have gelled in the line.  An hour or two later, as the sun came up and the temperature rose to a balmy -30C, the propane started flowing again.

Later in the day the temperature actually made it up to -20C, but only very briefly.  I went outside for a while and offloaded all of the aspen paneling that I had brought out with me on the 23rd.  There were about 100 boards, enough to do the second half of the high ceiling.  Its been so cold that they just stayed in the back of the truck the past few days.

Its hard to imagine that the temperature could rise 20 degrees in less than 12 hours, and it is still frigid.  The poor deer and little birds are all struggling to survive.  I put some feed out for all of them, to help them through this deep freeze.  I also checked a couple of neighbors cottages for them.  They are not out right now and I want to make sure that their furnaces haven't quit.  So far, so good....

Christmas Day

The girls actually slept in later on Christmas Day than I think they ever have.  Back when they were little, they used to get up at 5:00AM to open the gifts under the tree.  This year they slept until after 9:00... when I finally woke them up...!!

We spent the morning opening gifts and had a great time together.  Everyone will remember the spindly Charlie Brown Christmas tree that I cut, and the way the star drooped over on top.  They wouldn't remember if I had bought a manicured Christmas tree from the lot...!!  

The girls put this ridiculous Santa's hat on me, and then pulled it back to exaggerate my baldness.  Made me look like a cue ball with a sock on my head.  But they all got a good laugh out of it.

It dawned cold on Christmas Day and just before sunrise it was -30C.  By the "warmest" part of the afternoon it had only struggled up to about -25C.

We plugged in Hailey's car for a few hours and by early afternoon she hit the road back to the city and took my Mom along with her.  I think Oma enjoyed her couple of days out in the mountains, though if it would have been warmer, and we could have gotten outside, it would have been a lot better.  I guess I have to bring her back in the spring.

I asked Margarit and the girls to NOT get me anything for Christmas.  Of course they didn't listen.  Helena got me an insulated work shirt... to replace the one that she bought me last year.  I have been wearing that one all year, and recently ripped a big hole in it.  She also bought me a book about Dinosaurs.  Anna bought me a nice sweatshirt.  Hailey gave me some money... and Margarit got me a couple of books.

Margarit and I would always pledge not get each other anything.  In past years I often broke that pledge and bought her something anyway.  This year I only got her a small box of her favorite chocolates.  This time around she broke the pledge with her gifts to me.

Those of us that are left out here are kind of hunkered down and waiting for the cold snap to break.  Boxing Day is also supposed to be quite cold but after that the forecast is calling for things to improve.

Merry Christmas

The whole family headed out to the cottage for Christmas.  We brought my Mom along for a visit for a couple of days.  Road conditions were not great on the drive out.  There were several accidents on the highway outside of Edmonton, and lots of cars in the ditch.  We were delayed for over an hour as traffic got detoured around one of the accidents.  We finally arrived at the cottage, after dark, on December 23rd.   The highways were snow covered in places, icy in others, and it was foggy and snowing along the way.  But we eventually made it.

After we arrived we had a quick dinner of pasta, and then set up the Christmas Tree.  I had cut a rather scruffy looking ditch spruce last time I was out at the cottage.  We brought it in, put it in the tree stand, and the three girls had fun decorating it.  It was kind of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and the girls scoffed at me for my selection.  It was Anna's turn to put the star on top, and when she did, it promptly flopped over. 

This will be the only Christmas that all three of the girls will be teenagers.  Helena is 13, Annelise is 16, and Hailey is 19. 

Dead and Alive

I posted a wider view of this subject a few weeks ago.  These are some Cottonwoods down along the Red Deer River near Drumheller.  I like the way the foreground dead one sort of mirrors the live one in the background.  This was shot in early September of 2021 with my Ebony 4" x 5" view camera and a 500mm lens.  I used a #8 Yellow filter to brighten some of the background fall foliage.  It was shot on Kodak Tri-X Pan film processed in HC-110 developer for plus development.

Bubble Trails

Yet another scan from the mixed batch done in HC-110.  This one was taken in September of 2021 on one of my walks down into Blackmud Creek Ravine.  It was shot on Kodak Tri-X Pan film with a 125mm lens.  I used a #25 Red Filter to increase contrast, and to slow the shutter speed.  There was a trail of bubbles emerging from the rocks and I wasn't sure what result a long exposure would yield.  This was one second, at F20.0.

Play Ball

Here's another one from that mixed batch of film processed on December 6th.  This was Kodak Tri-X Pan developed in Kodak HC-110 Developer.  I used Dilution B, and developed for 6:30 minutes.  This shot was taken in November of 2020.  This was a day trip out with some friends from the Monochrome Guild.  We were not able to take our usual Fall Photo Weekend trip and had to settle for a couple of day trips instead.  This abandoned baseball diamond that we found had not been used for quite some time.  If I had to guess I would say at least a decade... and maybe two.  I used a #25 Red Filter to deepen the sky and increase contrast.  Contrast was further increased with plus development.

Aspen Trunks

Just before I took off to Nordegg in mid-December I processed a mixed batch of film in Kodak HC-110 Developer.  This was all 4" x 5" sheet film and included some Ilford FP4 and some Kodak Tri-X Pan.  This particular images was taken out my bedroom window in Nordegg.  I liked the way the low winter light was falling on the aspen trunks.  I tried to let the background go soft and fall out of focus.  This was shot on Ilford FP4 in mid-November with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Fujinon-T 400mm lens.  I used a #25 Red Filter to pump up the contrast a little.  Contrast was further increased by giving plus development in the HC-110.  I used dilution B and developed for 14:30 minutes.

2022 Calendar

While I was away in Nordegg, my 2022 Calendars arrived from the printer.  I've been printing these for several years now, and every year the quantity increases a little.  I seem to recall that this year I ordered 35 of them.  I have my usual distribution list of friends, family and neighbors that I pass them out to.  In recent years I've also been getting a few requests.  It's nice to know that my photography is appreciated, even if the print quality isn't the greatest.  They are digitally printed by a small company in Calgary, and I've learned how to set up the contrast and brightness of the file so that it prints reasonably well.  It still cost me a little over 500 bucks with taxes and shipping to print this year's batch.  This is the cover image, a shot of Tangle Falls in Jasper.  I'll share the monthly images as we go through the year.

Today is also the Winter Solstice.  So despite the fact that it is only the first day of winter, it is the shortest day of the year and from now on the days will get slightly longer.  Here in Edmonton the sun came up at 8:49AM and set at 4:16PM.  In Nordegg, being a couple of hundred kilometers further west and further south, the times were a little different.  Sunrise at 8:53AM and sunset at 4:32PM.  That is a little deceiving because it does get light around 9:00AM, but the sun doesn't actually break over Eagle Peak until a little after 10:00AM.  It makes for a pretty short day.  As much as I enjoy winter, I do look forward to the days getting a little longer.

A Rather Blustery Day....

After Jon left the cottage on Friday, I thought it best to make sure my truck would start.  So, I plugged it in for two or three hours, and then gave it a go.  By early afternoon the temperature had come up from the overnight low of -32, to around -15C.  It would eventually top out at around -10, before the sun began to set.  The truck started without any issues.....

I took a drive west on Highway 11 up to Abraham Lake.  I suspected that the lake had probably frozen over, given the recent cold temperatures.  Some years it does not freeze until mid-January.  My suspicions were correct and the lake was in fact frozen over.  It was sunny and calm but cold most of the way up the highway.  But as is the case most of the time, the wind really picked up when I got close to Abraham Lake.  The wind was rushing through the gap in the mountains and sweeping across the lake.  I could see snow sifting over the high ridges on either side of the lake.  At Windy Point the ice on the lake was swept bare, and snow was swirling in the air.  I didn't think a still photograph would do it any justice, and getting outside with a big camera was not an option, so I shot a couple of video clips on my phone.....

Mission Accomplished

It got REALLY cold overnight on Thursday December 16th.  When Jon and I got up in the morning, we needed to light a fire to get the chill out of the cottage.  Normally, when it is not too cold, I can let the fire burn out overnight, and just let the room heaters kick in.  But this time, it was a clear night and the temperature dropped to -32C.  It gradually warmed up during the day and topped out at about -10C on Friday afternoon.

With the supply of aspen paneling used up, and the west side of the ceiling done, Jon decided to head back home to the city.  He left before noon, and got back to Edmonton well before dark.

I didn't do much on Friday....  Mostly I just brought in more firewood, and did a few chores around the house.  I plugged my truck in for while, and thought I'd better start it.  I haven't left the property for eight days, and need to make sure it will start when its time to go home.  I plugged it in for two or three hours and then fired it up.  It started just fine, so I took a spin into town to pick up some beer, and then drove around for a bit.  Despite the cold, it was a beautiful, sunny winter day.  I went over to the guest cottage to get a few photos of the work that we accomplished.  Of course the battery in my digital camera was dead, but I managed to get a few phone snapshots.

Cold Couple of Days

I woke up at about 5:30 in the morning on Wednesday December 15th.  The furnace was running and all the room heaters were going.  It was a little chilly in the main cottage as the fire in the wood stove had gone out over night.  But plenty comfortable for sleeping.  I checked the outside thermometer and it was clear and cold and -29C.  Not sure if we hit thirty at any point, but definitely the coldest day so far this fall.

Eventually I went over to the guest cottage and got a fire going and after an hour or two, once the place warmed up, Jon and I went to work.  We got 11 rows of panelling installed on the ceiling through the course of the day, which got us just beyond the 2/3 point.  This also took us around the pot light fixture in the mezzanine, and we installed that while we were at it.  We made a point of checking the continuity of all the wiring that I had installed to these pot lights.  That way if there was a problem with anything, we could fix it before we closed the ceiling.  But everything was good..  

We have to quit working fairly early in the day as it gets dark at around 4:30 in the afternoon at this time of year.  While we working on the ceiling, I didn't bother to continue with any lacquering, as it would have got in the way of the scaffold.  But at the end and beginning of each day I would finish a handful of boards, so that we had enough to continue.  It was still just late afternoon when we got back to the main cottage, which left us lots of time to prepare a hearty meal and relax through the evening.  On Wednesday I made a roast chicken with all the fixings.

We got a little snow on Thursday but it was very fine, and didn't amount to much.  The accumulation was only a quarter inch or so.  It started out at about -15 in the morning and got progressively colder through the day.  By the time we packed things in late in the afternoon it had dropped to about -21.  We managed to finish the west side of the high ceiling on Thursday.  The work progresses a little slower as we had to work from the very top of the scaffold.  We also had to cut around a couple of electrical boxes for light fixtures and smoke detectors.

We had leftovers for dinner on Thursday, and turned in relatively early.  There was a great sense of accomplishment at finishing half the ceiling.  I was very appreciative of the help that Jon gave me as it would have been impossible to do this work by myself.  The lower walls and bedroom ceilings can be a solo project, but the high ceiling can not.  There were only a handful of boards left when we finished up so I will have to bring out another load when the time comes to finish the other side.  It got really clear and cold on Thursday night and the temperature dropped down to -32.  Jon was planning to head back to the city on Friday so we plugged his truck in to make sure it would start.

Plugging Along

On Sunday December 12th I continued with more of the same.  I lit the fire in the cottage in the morning to warm the place and then spent the entire day working on applying yet more lacquer.  By the time it got dark in the evening I had about 2/3 of the boards finished.  

All of the neighbors that were out for the weekend headed for home on Sunday afternoon.  By evening it was gloriously quiet and no one was around.

On Monday morning I hit repeat and started the same process all over again.  My friend Jon drove out from Edmonton on Monday, and he arrived around lunch time.  I continued with some finishing in the afternoon, and Jon puttered around on wiring in a couple of shut off switches for me.  In the evening we retreated to the main cottage and I made us a dinner of prime rib, mashed potatoes, gravy and steamed beans.  It was really good and we stayed up until the wee hours, visiting, listening to music and having a few drinks.  The snow started up in again in the evening.  It was fairly fine, but came down steadily all night.  But we had additional accumulation of another 3/4 inch of so.  It got quite cold overnight and was around -21C in the morning just before the sun came up.

With Jon's help I planned on installing aspen paneling to the high ceiling.  Once we got a fire going to get the chill out of the cottage we got started.   We managed to get around 30 boards installed on the west side of the high ceiling on Tuesday.  That is about 1/3 of the west side.  So, it seems it will take three days to do half of the ceiling.  Maybe we will get a little faster once we get into more.

Headstones

During a day trip back in October, we were out exploring with our friends Chris and Connie.  Boy were we surprised when we poked our heads into this old barn, and came across these two headstones.  It was a pretty eerie feeling.  We surmised that some grave markers must have been replaced at a nearby cemetery, and the old ones ended up here... somewhat forgotten.

I shot this on Adox CHS-50 film with my Ebony 4x5 view camera and a 75mm wide angle lens.  The film was processed in Rodinal developer, 1:50.

Saturday Workday

I didn't sleep well on Friday night.  I went to bed early, around 9:30, because I was cold and tired.  I woke up around 12:30 and couldn't get back to sleep.  The windy conditions that we had all day on Friday got a lot worse and it got REALLY windy overnight.  At one point in the middle of the night the TV came on... probably a power surge.  I eventually fell asleep again around 3:30, and then slept in until after 9:30.

I got a fire going in the guest cottage around 11:00 and set to work finishing more of the aspen boards.  It started out kind of sunny, but quickly clouded over and became very gloomy.  I had to turn the work light on in the guest cottage even in the middle of the day.  It started snowing heavily around lunch time and snowed all day.  After a couple of hours the snow became finer and lighter, but we ended up with additional accumulation of about 1-1/2 inches.  It finally quit around sundown, and the skies partly cleared after dark.

I finished the final two coats on the eight boards that I started on Friday.  Then I did 16 more boards during the course of the day, each with four coats of lacquer.  Late in the day I managed to get two more coats on an additional eight boards.  I'm approaching the half way mark on the boards I brought out, and have used about 3/4 of the first pail of lacquer.

The grain in some of the boards is just beautiful.  I'm trying to set aside some of the nicer ones to use in the most prominent locations.

Late in the evening, just as I was packing up, one of the White Tail Bucks came wandering through the woods behind the cottage.  He was only about 20 feet away from me, and didn't see me watching him through the window.

Flooded Granaries

Despite the fact that it was a drought year and most of the sloughs were dried up, these old granaries remain flooded.  You can see the high water line on the side, so obviously the water has been much deeper in the past.  I shot this with my Ebony 4x5 view camera of Adox CHS-50 film, developed in Rodinal 1:50.    It was taken with a 125mm lens.  This was taken back in October, on a day trip when we were out exploring with our friends Chris and Connie.

Back to Nordegg

On Thursday December 9th I headed back out to Nordegg.  I loaded up about 100 of my tongue and groove aspen boards and hit the road.  Conditions in Edmonton were treacherous, as we got freezing rain for the third time this season.  The highways were generally clear and dry until I got further southwest.  Out around Rimbey and Rocky Mountain House and on to Nordegg there had been no rain, but there was a lot more snow.  They highways were slushy, and in some areas partly snow covered.  I arrived at the cottage shortly after sunset and got unpacked and settled in for the night.

I was too lazy to offload all the aspen in the dark, so I left it on the truck until Friday morning.  It was clear and sunny for most of the day Friday, and the temperature started at about -10C at dawn and rose to about -3C during the day.  But there was a brisk wind that made it somewhat unpleasant outside.  I got all the boards unloaded and stacked in the guest cottage and then set about finishing them with lacquer.  As there has been no heat in the cottage for over a week it took a while to get the chill out.  It was about -2C in the cottage when I got the fire really going and started working.  By late in the afternoon it got as warm as about +10C inside.  Pleasant enough for working, but it sure takes a long time for that lacquer to dry at low temperatures like that.  I got sixteen boards fully finished with four coats, and then eight more boards with the first two coats.  

Chain Hoist

I shot this one with my Ebony 4x5 view camera and a 75mm wide angle lens.  It was taken on Ilford FP4+ film, developed in Rodinal 1:50.  This is the interior of an abandoned maintenance building down in Crowsnest Pass.  My friend Fred and I were out exploring after dropping off all of our prints at the Crowsnest Pass Public Gallery for our Coal in Alberta exhibition.  This was back in October of this past fall.

Some 8x10 Scans

These are scans of a couple of 8x10 negatives.  I shot these with my Chamonix 8x10 view camera when we were out exploring northeast of Edmonton with Chris and Connie.  Both images were taken on Kodak T-Max 100 film, developed in 510 Pyro.  This was back in May of last summer.

Cottonwoods

This is the third negative that I scanned from my recent batch of Foma Retropan Soft 320 developed in Microphen.  I quite like this image, though it remains to be seen whether the soft grainy version on this film is better than the one I shot on traditional film.  I haven't processed that traditional one yet, so the jury is still out.  These are some roadside cottonwoods, down along the Red Deer River, near Drumheller.  These trees are among my favorites, as they have so much character.  Not "these" trees specifically, but Cottonwoods in general.  In this instance I like the way the dead one mirrors the living one behind it.  This might make a good print... ?

Stranded

If I had got my act together, and hit the road for home first thing in the morning on December 1st, it probably would have been fine.  But I slept in a little, and then procrastinated, and by then the snow was coming down very heavily.  I ended up getting stranded at the cottage, and missed out on my hockey game on Wednesday night.  It wasn't really a big deal, as I had lots of food and lots to keep me busy.

I decided I would wait out the storm and head home on Thursday instead.  The snow kind of tapered off around sunset on Wednesday and we didn't get much more after that.  But, I was told that central Alberta, east of the mountains, got hit with another batch of freezing rain.  So, I decided it was not wise to try driving home quite yet, and stayed for another day.

I didn't accomplish much on Thursday....   I puttered around in the morning trying to repair my tripod head that had been acting up.  I think I got it more or less fixed, but probably need to replace a spring.  After that I gave my neighbor Dan a hand.  He is in the process of installing some siding on his cottage and needed a hand to start the first row and get it straight.  After that I put out some oats for the deer.  Now that hunting season is over, and it is snowy and more of a challenge for them to find food, I don't mind feeding them a little.  One of the big bucks came by just around sunset and hopefully the other two also survived hunting season.  

I made a beer run to town as I had run out a couple of days ago.  Everything was shut down during the big storm but it seems things are back to normal now.  I put in a little time in the guest cottage during the afternoon and finished up a little electrical work.  The paneling is all on now, and until I bring out some more, there is nothing more that I can do with this finishing work.  I'll check the road reports in the morning and if the highways are in OK condition, I'll lock things up and head back to the city for bit.

December Snow

It started snowing at some point shortly before dawn on Wednesday December 1st.  It continued all day long, and by dark it was still coming down.  There was an accumulation of about four inches by the time it started to get dark.  The forecast is calling for it to continue through the night and taper off on Thursday morning.  I delayed my return to the city as I didn't want to drive the highway in these conditions.  I'll see what the morning brings and decide when it is safe to go back home.  I have lots of food in the fridge, and lots of work to do, so being stuck out here at the cottage a little longer is not a big deal.

I got a bit of a late start this morning but eventually got a fire going next door and set to work.  All of the aspen was already lacquered from the day before so I didn't have to do any more of that.  I just set to work installing all of the boards that were left.  I got them all up by late afternoon, save for a few cutoffs that I will use in other locations.

Overnight we went from having +8C temperatures and no snow, to winter like conditions.  It is not cold and the temperature hovered right around the freezing mark all day.  But it sure looks different with all the snow around.  I know I said last time it snowed that I thought it was here to stay.  Its getting so late in the season now that this time it probably will.  But I'm not betting on it any more...

Tuesday

On Tuesday November 30th I continued on my project.  I got the last of the 75 boards of aspen finished with four coats of lacquer.  I also finished putting up all the boards on the second wall of the bedroom.  I have been doing the electrical connections as I go.  I wire in the receptacle, and later the switches, as I finish each individual wall.  

Around 2:00 in the afternoon my contractor Scott came over with his skid steer.  I gave him a hand and we installed the sewer line from the house out to the septic tank.  We wrapped the line with a heat trace tape, and put in the cable for the tank alarm.  Then we covered the tank and the line with rigid insulation.  Scott proceeded to use all the available dirt that we had on site from the excavation, and finished the backfill.  The tank and line are completely covered, and the foundation is mostly backfilled.

Some of the dirt was already frozen into lumps.  When it thaws next spring there will likely be some settling, and we'll need to bring in some extra fill, and some gravel.  But for now things are nicely finished up.

Just in the nick of time too...  Overnight on Tuesday it started to snow.  I was going to go home to the city on Wednesday morning, but there is a heavy snowfall warning in effect and it was coming down fairly heavily.  I decided not to risk driving the highways and will stay for an extra day or two.  There are still some aspen boards remaining to be installed, and some electrical I can putter around on.  So the time will be put to good use.  The only downside is that I will miss my hockey game on Wednesday night.

A Drive up the Valley

Monday was the only day during my recent visit to Nordegg, that the sun came out.  There was a mostly blue sky, with just a few puffy clouds.  At this time of year the days are very short and the sun is quite low in the sky.  I provides a beautiful clear side light all day long.  

I finished up working on my security system about 1:00 in the afternoon and decided to take a break and go for a drive with my camera.  I headed west up the North Saskatchewan Valley on the David Thompson Highway.  Although there is pretty much no snow left at Nordegg, the further up the valley I got, the more snow there was.  

It was very windy, which made photography difficult.  The lower reaches of Abraham Lake were open and there were large waves crashing onto the shore.  I stopped in a few places and took some snapshots.  I also managed to set the big camera up twice... right on the side of the road... using the truck as a windbreak.

The upper reaches of Abraham Lake, near Preachers Point, has a crust of ice on it.  It is more sheltered here and the wind doesn't keep breaking it up.  With these current mild temperatures it will probably be quite a while before the lake fully freezes over.  In recent years that has usually taken place in early to mid January.  Hopefully it is relatively calm when it freezes over and we get some good ice bubbles this year.   Abraham Lake is renowned for the Ice Bubbles that accumulate every winter.  This happens on many lakes, when methane gas escapes from the lakebed.  But here it is so windy that the lake ice remains mostly snow free and the bubbles remain visible.  We'll see what conditions are like later this winter.

I got back to the cottage at around 3:00, as the light was beginning to fade a little.  Much of the valley falls into shade by this time in the afternoon, as the sun drops behind the peaks.  I worked for another three hours or so and managed to get some more of my aspen paneling finished with lacquer, and cut and installed some of it.  It was getting too dark in the guest cottage, and my little worklight was not good enough to see properly.  I didn't want to make a mess of the installation, so I shut things down a little earlier than last night.