I’m still not caught up but am recovering from “traveler’s revenge” and taking a lot of naps in preparation for a train ride adventure while also working on blog posts and videos.
After what felt like an all day trip to town I drove the 30 minutes home with a stop along the way. Actually, the Skull Valley cemetery is one mile from my turnoff that is a sharp 70° right turn at the bottom of a hill. I often stop to let traffic go by. This day I noticed a Raven also visiting the cemetery.
Once home and unpacked I went to walk up the berm and stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of a four inch Bark Scorpion. It’s the first one I’ve seen on the ranch and I’m alright with that if they stay outside. Went to bed early as I was recovering from a full day in town.
During the cool of the morning and before the high of 81°, I cleaned the truckcamper floor and put down a new carpet runner. I’m slowly working on getting it ready for winter occupancy in the desert. Didn’t take long before I was hot and tired so took a nap. I’m still recovering you know. Later, I worked on a blog post and trail-cam videos.
How is it that my website was fine when I went to bed but “unsecure” and not opening in the morning? Rebooting didn’t help so I contacted Hostgator (my web host) and they solved the error problem of “SSL expired”. Seems that’s one of the things I pay them to do, automatically. (SSL, Secure Sockets Layer, is “a standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a client—typically a web server (website) and a browser, or a mail server and a mail client (e.g., gmail).”) Secure is the key word. If an URL is https versus http, it’s secure. Anyway, with that problem solved, I took a nap. This time recovering from website shock.
Later, while outside I saw this cute two-inch Horned lizard, also a first sighting on the ranch. They are harmless, eat ants, and are said to bring good luck.
The next day it rained, slowly at first, on and off yet steady. Had to update software to continue working on video. Exhausting. So I took a nap. Thunder and lightning filled the evening air.
Awoke Sunday to rain cleaned air, ah petrichor. May have been the last of monsoon. Snow is already falling to the north.
I was motivated to clean the camera sensor though I’m scared at the same time. For months now there’s been a reverse “C” shaped something probably dust on photos with the lens set between 18-30mm. It shows up in the sky about half way between center and 2 o’clock. If it’s on clear sky I can remove it post-processing. But it needed to go. I recently bought a camera cleaning kit that includes anti-static gloves, camera cleaning cloth, cleaning swabs, air blowing, cleaning brush, screen and lens cleaner. After wiping down the outside including degreasing the view finder I removed and cleaned the lens glass. Then the scariest part. Locked the mirror up to expose the sensor and first blew air with the bulb (not wet breath) followed by two quick sweeps with the sensor cleaning swab. Put the lens back on and voila, the “thing” is gone in several test shots. I was told that dust and hair gets stuck to the sensor by static. So I was nervous about adding to it in my never that clean home with floating cat hair.
While I mess with the DSLR camera, the trail-cam works on its own. A Striped Skunk wandered by about 3am and that night after dark a fox came through.
But I was asleep for that because the next day I was off on a train ride adventure and the Verde Canyon Railroad deserves its own post.
I’m done recovering from traveler’s revenge and now planning for the next journey. When the days drop into the 50s and the nights head toward the 30s it’s time to move further south into Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. Won’t be long. Feel free to join me in the desert of Congress, Arizona to watch November’s Beaver moon. I’m sure to be awake for the rise and set of the full moon, and maybe for the lunar eclipse between 1-7am.
To watch the video from a couple months of wildlife caught on the trail-cam and my review on the cam, follow this link https://youtu.be/7n_jDP-6WKc. (I am not being paid or compensated in any way.)
To order Geogypsy 2023 calendars please leave a comment below or use the contact tab above. Final photo choices can be seen here https://geogypsytraveler.com/2022/10/14/time-to-order-geogypsy-2023-calendar/.
Hello Gaelyn, somehow I have fallen off the wagon when it comes to commenting on your Friday posts. I always read your other posts, but make a point of joining in the Foto Fun of your Friday posts . I’ll keep an eye out for your next one,,, Jo
I haven’t posted a Friday Fun post in several weeks. Maybe this week. You know about keeping busy.
You have such adventures! We’re having adventures here.
My SIL helped me install a security camera, alarm and all! I feel so much safer.
Thanks. I’m sorry to hear you need a security camera but you have been getting into it lately.
Love the Raven. Ohhhh…that scary Scorpion!! Yes! Keep them outside!! Agree with others; looking forward to your Verde Canyon train ride post. Good to hear you’re catching up on the rest and feeling better!
Feeling better and the train ride was awesome. Don’t you get scorpions?
Yes, to the scorpions but not many and only outside, thank goodness. LOL… at least the ones I’ve seen!
Mesmerizing pictures of the ever changing sky. Looking forward to your train ride
Thanks. Was a fun ride.
My photography teacher did some years professionally shooting rodeo events. She said talk about dust so she got pretty good at cleaning her camera and lens’ on a regular basis.
One of my older cameras had a pronounced piece of dirt or dust and I learned to take it into account when I was taking photos. It wasn’t a SLR so I am not sure it could be cleaned.
Great thing to see a cemetery is a raven. Somebody should write a scary poem about a raven.
Now that I’ve cleaned the sensor once I won’t hesitate to do it again as needed. I too was learning how to avoid the dust in pics but couldn’t always do it. Much better. Just couldn’t resist that Raven shot.
The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe;) good one. I saw a couple at our Peeples Valley cemetery and they were chuckling… really. Still love your trail cam critters. And was thinking that perhaps some to be at same spot, like maybe checking out each other’s smells. I’m glad you’re feeling better and adventured!
Ravens are fun and love to laugh at their own jokes. I’m sure the critters sniff each other’s scent but they are drawn to the water bowls.
Great pics of the skies – love the glowing light on the mountain! I’m surprised that we’re continuing to get rain nearly everyday. With the temps dropping we’ll have snow here soon!
Wonderful skies photos and especially the glowing mountains. I enjoy seeing Sierra and look forward to the train ride. Glad you seem to be feeling better. All the naps are probably why. When a body is recovering it needs rest and not to be pressed to do too much.
Know better than to use my cell phone to post. As usual, I was at the bottom but it put it up in the middle of comments. Sorry!
It’s OK.
Thanks. With all these naps, I should be better than before. Train ride is coming.
Thanks. Clear skies here means COLD mornings. I am ready for the desert, and no snow.
Oh my, cleaning inside a DSLR is scary . Why mine is sitting on the shelf lately. I wonder if I will ever use it again. Not even using my Lumix much any more with the killer camera on the phone. It is SOOOO easy to get lazy and I applaud you for not doing so. Someone has to take the technically good photos! Scorpions. Ugh. I do hope they stay outside. Hope you are recovering. I did see a few facebook posts about the train ride and am looking forward to the full on post. Also, very very glad I don’t have enough traffic to warrant a web hosting site other than cheap (free) blogger and the free version of WordPress. Enough for me to handle that. Encrypted and all that other stuff? I am getting really worn out lately with techie stuff just getting bigger and bigger. Kudos to you.
It was a brave move on my part. Although the DSLR is heavy it takes better picks than my phone. At one time I thought the blog would make money so i bought my own domain. Now I know better but am too lazy to change it all. That does mean when I quit paying for it, it all disappears, and I never thought of that. Train ride coming soon.
Hi Gaelyn, Well ! you certainly have been doing some travelling and these photo’s are gorgeous, wonderful ones of the sky and it’s different aspects. I am afraid I hate crawly things such as scorpians and lizards and snakes,but love all other animals. Enjoy the rest of the week and take care.
Thanks. I’m not keen on most crawly things either, especially scorpions.
Well done with cleaning the camera, I would be terrified to even think about it! As always a great set of photos. Take care and keep safe. Hugs from us both Diane and Nigel
Thanks. I’m just glad the sensor cleaning worked and hope not to do it again real soon. There aren’t convenient photo stores to do it.
LoL! Sorry. Sensor and mirror cleaning kits. Terror at the thought of attempting it.. Who needs the Stress & Expense or the effort. For years I have cleaned up my dust situations with a vac*, ‘Per; Ken Rockwell’, with great results and no issues or damage.
*Any vac will do, but I use a small shop vac. A small cordless vac works well, too. You don’t need to get close or should if your vac is powerful one.
A few years ago, I modified Ken’s simple procedure with a square piece of cheese cloth over the lens mount and bring the vac up close to that. When the cheesecloth starts to billow out you have enough suction to clean components and not so much as to damage them.
It seems that people have abandoned cameras because of phones which is so unfortunate for many reasons. When I question photographers as to why their cameras are gathering ‘Dust’, they often offer the excuse of “it’s easier…” than carrying around an often heavy and bulky camera. Only problem is the results, while pretty good, just don’t rise to the level of even good cameras, let alone great cameras, though, any camera is better than none and even a great camera won’t make you a better/good photographer if you aren’t…yet, and you might not ever reach that satisfying condition.
I understand the heavy & bulky issue. We all want to up our game and often end up with higher end equipment and lenses which are usually heavy & bulky/big, and I’m just as guilty as most. I get past that issue with a now very old, in terms of modern digital imaging equipment with a small and light, no bulk Nikon D-40 with an 18-55mm lense. Street photography teaches you to go light and unobtrusive and while I have and array of very nice newer and new cameras, I shoot almost everything with that combo. Plus it fits into my Miata glove box. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I love the color of old CCD sensors
Sure glad the sensor swab did the trick and less scary than blowing dust around with a vac. I do get tired after a full day of carrying and shooting the big Nikon, but the quality of photo over my shitty phone makes it worth it. I can’t afford to replace either. And now I have a new skill.
“less scary than blowing dust around with a vac.” Apparently the technique was misunderstood. The vac pulls dust out and doesn’t blow it around.
The Cheesecloth safety shield prevents any dust from peripherally being sucked in, unlikely as that is, but is not necessary as I never had an issue before I started using it.
The original idea for using Cheesecloth was suction control and as vacuum pressure indicator, not to prevent tangential dust intrusion. The good is that it is very effective and you don’t have to touch any internal parts. And, human nature being what it is, your less likely to put off chasing that dust away. I should note that I also use a Micro-Vac in the field should one become necessary because of lens changes in dusty environments.