Wednesday Work Day

I had a bit of an upset stomach on Tuesday night, probably from my lousy cooking, and even though I was exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before, I didn't sleep very well.  I ended up sleeping in until about 9:30.  But it was just as well, as the temperature overnight dropped to -18C.

It was clear and sunny and by late morning it finally started to warm up.  I got over to the guest cottage around noon and got a fire going to warm it up a bit.  Then I went to work.  I installed two more of the pendant lights in the main living area, and finished up a little more trim at the ceiling ridge.  I had to maneuver the scaffold around the wood stove in order to get access to the third light.  I also finished up the ceiling trim around the chimney.  By late afternoon it had warmed up to about -5.  So I put up a temporary outside light above the door, and then installed the yard light on the other side of the cottage.  That fixture didn't fit very well onto the box that I had and I will have to pick up a different one and redo this.  Hopefully by that point the fixture that I have on order for above the door will also be available.  But I was able to energize this fourth circuit and make sure that everything is working.  Not only do the outside lights work OK, but my exterior receptacles are now energized as well.  I checked all of the receptacles that I have energized both inside and out with a circuit tester and everything is good.  I probably won't bother energizing any more stuff right now until I finish more of the walls.  But at least there is ample power to work inside properly without an extension cord.  And, with power in the crawlspace my mechanical contractor can now get started on the plumbing and heating rough in.

Before quitting work for the day I started taking down the scaffold.  I didn't take it down completely as there is a little more trim work on the south gable that I need to finish up.  But, before I head back to the city, it will come down.  I bought a ten foot step ladder and brought it out with me.  This will be adequate to access most of the higher stuff, and I hope that the scaffold can stay down for good...!

In the evening I headed over to the outside rink in town to play hockey.  There is a scheduled men's shinny game every Wednesday and Saturday night.  In recent weeks it has either been too warm or too cold for hockey, but this time it was perfect... about -10C.  Unfortunately only one goalie showed up, but there were ten or eleven skaters.  There were a bunch of locals from up in the subdivision, plus a handful of guys from Frontier Lodge and from the Bighorn Reserve.  We started at 7:00 and things didn't wind down until 9:30.  There is nothing better than hockey under the moonlight in the mountains.  The rink has boards, and lights, and a heated change shack... but the moon was out too.  I'm sure with all the fresh air and exercise today, I'll sleep a lot better.

Mid Week in Nordegg

I played a late hockey game with the Renegades on Monday night.  It was a 10:30 start time, but at least it was at a rink close to home... Kinsmen.  We fell behind 2-0 but rallied to beat the third place team... Big Coffin Hunters... by a score of 3-2.  It was 2:00AM before I finally wound down, had a shower and something to eat, and went to bed.

The next morning I packed up a few things and hit the road for Nordegg.  With the power meter recently installed I wanted to energize a couple circuits and make sure everything was working.  The highways were just about the worst I have seen all winter.  There had been a strong northwest wind for a couple of days, plus a little fresh snow.  Wherever there was an open area, the wind swept the snow across the road.  It melted a little on the asphalt and then refroze to ice.  It was patchy ice because in the sheltered areas the highway was pretty clear, but whenever there was an open area, it was snow covered or glazed with ice.  At one point I went into a sideways skid down the highway at 100kmh, when I attempted to change lanes.  I managed to control the skid and straighten out without any issues.  This was on Highway 2, just south of Highway 13.  A short distance later I came upon a big traffic jam.  It was bumper to bumper and the vehicles just crawled along for about 20 minutes.  Eventually I came upon the scene of an accident... three big transport trucks in the ditch... one with a big load of pipe and the other two with 50 foot vans.  A wrecker had just pulled one of them back onto the shoulder and the cab and sleeper were pretty bashed up.  It was a truck registered in the USA, so perhaps the driver was not used to winter weather.

Shortly after that I turned off onto Highway 53 and headed west towards Rimbey.  The road was still covered with patchy snow in places, but it was not as icy.  By the time I got further west to the Clearwater County line, the roads were fine.  Here there is heavy forest and winds were not able to sweep all the snow onto the road.  The highways were pretty much clear all the way to Nordegg, except for a little snow cover up on Saunders Ridge.  But the drive that usually takes a little under three hours, took almost four and a half.

I arrived at the cottage around 2:30 and unpacked my stuff.  Then I went to work over in the guest cottage until dark.  It was about -8 through the afternoon and I didn't bother to light a fire.  I did put up a light fixture in the east bedroom and one up on the high ceiling.  I also puttered around a bit with some trim on the south gable.  I was able to energize three circuits in the building, and now have lights and power in the crawlspace and one of the bedrooms.  I also have lights up in the main loft, and one light in the central living area.  No more stringing out the 150 foot extension cord from next door...!

Strike Two

As with the century old sheet film that I recently attempted to work with, on behalf of my friends, the recently discovered roll of Verichrome Pan was also a bust.  I developed the roll on March 6th, using Kodak D-76 developer.  I went with a very standard time of 7:00 minutes, at 20C.

The film had been wound through a camera, and it looks like a couple of frames at the beginning may have been grossly underexposed.  It appears that there is a faint outline of the frame.  The latter parts of the roll are partly fogged, I suspect from light leaks around the edges of the paper backing, which was not particularly tightly rolled.  

This was a huge disappointment as I was hoping for a recognizable image and to be sent on a treasure hunt to try and figure out what it was.  Once again, that is not to be....

Charcoal Boomerang

This is a classic pattern for Plastic Laminate, common in the 1960's.  I seem to recall seeing this when I was a child.  We are decorating the guest cottage in a mid-century theme.  We ordered a dinette table and chairs.  The legs of the pieces and the edge of the table, are chrome, and the chair seats and backs are vinyl, in a buttercup yellow color to match our retro appliances.  The table top is finished with this plastic laminate.  I managed to locate a couple of extra sheets, which I will use for the counter top.  I also found some chrome trim to use on the edges of the counter top, to match the dinette table.  It will be interesting to see all this stuff once it comes together.

Saunders Aspens on 8x10

Here is another scan from the recently processed batch of 8x10 negatives.  This one was also Fuji Neopan Acros 100, developed in Rodinal 1:50.  I took this shot in late August of 2021 with my Chamonix 810V 8" x 10" view camera and a Nikkor 450mm lens.  

This was taken along the road down to the North Saskachewan River, between Camp Alexo and Saunders Recreation Area.  It was a Wednesday afternoon in the fall, and there was no one else around.  I really enjoyed that peaceful afternoon and just looking at the photograph reminds me of the day.....

Neopan Acros 8x10 in Rodinal

This is a scan from an 8x10 negative that I recently processed.  I had to crop it slightly, due to some damage on the right edge.  Although this is possible with a scan, or even with a darkroom enlargement, it is not an option when contact printing.  As I don't have the facilities to enlarge 8x10 negatives, and can only contact print, this one is not an option for printing, at least for now.  I believe that I have a duplicate negative of this one, yet to be processed, so perhaps that one will be a little better.

This is Fuji Neopan Acros 100 processed in Rodinal developer, 1:50.  I ran this one on my Jobo Processor for 9:45 minutes at 24C.  I shot this one in January of 2021 with my Chamonix 810V view camera and a Nikkor 240mm lens.  A focal length of 240mm in 8x10 format is a slightly wide angle lens, roughly equivalent to a 40mm lens in full frame digital or 35mm film.  A red filter was used to deepen the sky values, darken the shadows, and increase contrast a little.  This was taken down in the badlands of the Red Deer River Valley, not far from my shop in East Coulee.

Unfortunately this wonderful film was discontinued a couple of years ago.  Then Fuji came out with a new version they called Acros II.  But, so far that is only offered in roll format, and is no longer made as sheet film.  Like so many others, I will be able to keep shooting until my current stock runs out, and then will have to make due with the dwindling options that remain.

Verichrome Pan

Margarit bought this old roll of film for me at an antique store.  It is Kodak Verichrome Pan in 120 format.  This film was discontinued in 1995, but was manufactured since the 1940's.  I'm not sure of the vintage of this patricular roll.  It is the forerunner to Kodak Plus-X Pan, which has also been discontinued.  Kodak currently only offers three Black and White films...  T-Max 100, T-Max 400 and Tri-X Pan, all of which I use.

This roll is exposed... but I have no idea how, when or by whom.  It will be interesting to process it and see what I get...?  There is lots of information on line about the film, so I will be able to choose a common developer and find a suitable development time and temperature.  Stay tuned...

Meter is In...!!

I had my neighbor Dan check the guest cottage for me and he confirmed that the power meter has been installed...!  Not sure exactly when it went in, but sometime on March 3rd or 4th.  The next time that I head out there to work, there will be power in the building.  This might seen like nothing to most people, but if you have ever worked on a construction project in a remote area, this is a real milestone...!

Ilford FP4 in Perceptol 1:1 - Open Water

This is the last scan from my recently processed batches of film.  This one was Ilford FP4 4" x 5", developed on my Jobo Processor in Perceptol Developer.  One of the successful batch that exhibited no residual staining.  Development was at 1:1 for 10:45 minutes at 24C.  

I shot this images in November of 2021, one of the last images of the year.  I have not exposed a single sheet or frame of film yet in 2022...!!   I shot this with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Nikkor 200mm lens.  This was some open water down on Beaverdam Lake, not far from my property.

Collapsed Ice - J&C Classic 200 in HC-110

I thought this scene was kind of visually interesting.  It is a spot along the David Thompson Highway, beside Abraham Lake.  There is a culvert under the highway, and water from the reservoir fills up this little area when the dam gets closed.  Then over the fall and winter, as the dam is opened and the water level recedes, the ice collapses.  This was one of the last photographs that I took in 2021.  It was in late November.  I shot this on J&C Classic 200 film, processed on my Jobo Processor in HC-110 developer.  It was taken with my Ebony SV45TE 4" x 5" view camera and a Fujinon 400mm telephoto lens.   

Chain Hoist

Yet another scan of a 4x5 negative from one of my recently processed batches.  This one was Ilford FP4 developed in Perceptol 1:1 on my Jobo processor.  Another negative that came through without any staining, and confirming that agitation is the solution to this problem.

I shot this in an old abandoned building down in Crowsnest Pass.  It is some sort of maintenance shop that was used in conjunction with one of the coal mines in the area.  My friend Fred and I explored here back in October of 2021 when we delivered our prints for the "Coal in Alberta" show to the Crowsnest Pass Gallery.

March Calendar Image

This is the image that I selected for the March Page of my 2022 calendar.  This Sandspit is in Abraham Lake, at Windy Point.  It becomes exposed every spring when the water level in the reservoir is at its lowest.  Over the summer months it slowly disappears, only to reappear the following spring.  The reservoir is filled over the summer months, reaching peak capacity in the fall.  Then, it is slowly drained over the winter and into the spring.  The cycle repeats every year.

Return Trip to Nordegg

On Thursday February 24 Brad and I returned to the city after spending four days out at Nordegg.  We managed to get the meter base and the panel roughed in and ready for inspection.

On Friday February 25 Margarit and I headed back out to Nordegg.  We didn't get out of the city until shortly after 4:00 and it was dark by the time we arrived at the cottage.  The three girls all stayed behind in the city so this was the first couples weekend for us in quite some time.

We had some snacks and watched a DVD movie on Friday night after our arrival.  We slept in a bit on Saturday morning, and then headed over to the guest cottage for a while.  I applied four coats of lacquer to a handful of trim boards that I had brought out previously, and then worked on some electrical stuff.  I installed a fourth breaker into the panel, this one for the exterior receptacles and switches.  This also required the connection of a junction box, and some modifications to one of the exterior receptacles.  I made some notes on the wall beside the panel as to which breaker is which.  This will be transferred to a proper label once the rest of the circuits are in.  Then I closed up the panel so that is is ready to be energized.  I also drilled through for the exterior light above the entrance, and installed the box.  I still have an exterior yard light on the other side, that is part of this same circuit and needs to be drilled through next time.  While I was working on all of this Margarit tidied up all the construction mess in the cottage.

Later that evening I made us a dinner of prime rib, mashed potatoes with gravy and steamed beets.  We enjoyed the nice meal together.  I challenged myself to do the "Dry February Challenge"  I wasn't taking any pledges, and not raising any money for charity, rather I just challenged myself to go alcohol free for a month.  The month is pretty much over now, and I haven't touched anything, nor been tempted.  But it precluded us from having a nice bottle of wine with dinner.

On Sunday we slept in again, and then had a relaxing morning in the cottage.  After breakfast and coffee we tidied up a bit and packed up for the return to the city.  We took a load of garbage to the dump and did a quick tour around the neighborhood.  We hit the road for home by about 3:00 in the afternoon and arrived back in the city, right on schedule, at around 6:00PM.

The DEF warning came on AGAIN in my truck.  We managed to make it back into the city before the truck went into limp mode, but not with much room to spare.  I will need to visit the Ram dealer on Monday to get this dealt with.  It sure seems like a stupid system to shut down the truck when a pollution control solution, that freezes at -10C, doesn't work properly.  I sure hope the manufacturer comes up with a long term solution for this as it is really ridiculous...!!

Wood Cross - Ilford FP4+ in Perceptol 1:1

I discovered this old grave marker last fall when I was out exploring with Margarit and our friends Chris and Connie.  As I recall this was the only wood marker in the cemetery.  Some of the graves were quite old... around a century if memory serves correctly... while other were relatively recent.  

This negative was part of the experiment I recently conducted, processing Ilford FP4+ 4" x 5" in Perceptol Developer, diluted 1:1.  I processed the film on my motorized Jobo processor, hoping that the previous staining issues I had experienced would be resolved.  The experiment was a success.  In the past I have had issues with the anti-halation dye not fully washing out of the film when I gave minimal agitation by hand.  The continuous agitation of the Jobo solved the problem.

This shot was taken in October of 2021 with my Ebony SV45TE view camera and a Fujinon 125mm lens.  Development was for 10:45 minutes at 24C.

Morning Fog - Arista EDU 200 in HC-110

I shot this negative early one morning back in October of 2020.  This was out at our property in Nordegg, and was actually taken from our second lot, looking out towards the road.  This was also part of the recent batch of Arista EDU 200 that I processsed on my Jobo a couple weeks ago.  This was developed in Kodak HC-110 Developer, Dilution B, for 7:45 minutes at 20C. 

I took the photograph with my Ebony SV45TE 4x5 view camera and a Fujinon 250mm lens.