Sometimes, a blogger will write that they’ve run out of ideas for a post, or that their writing well has run dry.
Something that always works for me is to review my thousands of photos.
There’s almost always an idea amongst them.
Yes, I take lots of photos. I’ve done that since I was a teenager and was gifted my first camera.
Photography to me is a magical hobby where I can explore the world either close up or from a distance. Looking for subjects while I’m out for my walks, while we’re out for a drive or on vacation, or even when I’m just hanging out in the house keeps me grounded in the present.
Almost all of my photos are time and date stamped, so they’re also the diary of my life.
Whenever I wonder about a future blog post, I just go to my Amazon photos and start browsing. Before too long, a photo or group of photos (from the over 8,000 I have stored there) will turn on a lightbulb and away I go.
The 8x zoom on my iPhone 17pro requires either a very steady hand or a tripod. Macro and night photography require the same.
I have a full-sized tripod in Texas. Here at home, I have a compact table top tripod. Neither of these is of any use to me when I’m out for my morning walks because I choose to not carry anything with me besides my house keys, my phone, and my headset. If it isn’t light weight and doesn’t fit in a fanny pack, my jacket pocket or the slim pockets of my exercise pants, it doesn’t go with me.
Recently, while searching other phone camera gear on Amazon, I came across this tripod made by Lamicall that folds flat. When folded up, it’s thinner than my phone, and isn’t much bigger overall than the palm of my hand.
I read the reviews and when anything I’m interested in has a 4.5 out of 5 star reviews from many customers, I’m interested. This little gadget met my requirements in every way, so I ordered it.
The tripod sets up quickly and easily (instructions are included but not required). It includes a strong extra magnet to attach to the back of the phone case. The magnet on the tripod itself is very strong, and held my phone easily, but I attached the extra magnet for additional security.
With a slight tilt back, it doesn’t tip and can also be attached to standard tripods.
The day after it arrived and a day later, I gave it a test run onmy morning walks.
Because I was the only one out at that early hour, I had to be my subject. Modeling is definitely not in my skill set nor in my comfort zone. That said, I was anxious to try out my new gadget, so pose I did.
Trying to pose a “candid” shotThe shadows were strong on this bright morning
For both of the above photos, I used the timer for shutter release.
The next two photos are the same scene. I used the new tripod and a wireless bluetoothed shutter release.
Shot at 1xSame scene shot at 8x
I’m anxious to see how it works when my next gear item arrives.
Can you guess what that might be?
**Note: I’m not affiliated with, nor do I get paid by the brands/web sites I mention in my posts. I simply hope to pre-answer any possible questionsabout the gear I use.
Last winter in Texas, with the helpful guidance of a friend in our park, I made my first attempt at Cacio e Peppe. Cacio translates to cheese and Peppe to pepper. Those are the ingredients in this spaghetti dish that’s apparently a favourite in Rome.
With only three ingredients, you’d think the dish would be easy. It’s far from that.
Pecorino Romano Cheese and Black Peppercorns are the two ingredients The peppercorns are ground small with a mortar and pestle, and the cheese is grated to a fine consistencyWhile the pasta is cooking for half the normal time, the peppercorns are heated in a heavy skilletPasta water is added to the peppercorns in the pan and then the pasta to continue cookingMeanwhile, hot pasta water is added to the cheese and stirred with a fork until it’s a smooth paste
The cheese paste is then added to the pasta in the pan and stirred with tongs to coat – then served immediately (feature photo)
The reward for the required attention to detail is a pasta dish with a creamy, peppery cheese sauce.
My second attempt turned out even better than the first and hubs claims it as his favourite pasta dish.
Some days the baking stars all align and I know from the time that I see this exact meringue stiffness that my macarons will be perfect.
The lemon macs from the merengue in my feature photo turned out nicely.
As I’ve said in previous posts about these divas of cookies, my ocd-ish personality loves the attention to detail and perfection that’s required in every step.
In her post yesterday, Charla had a photo and information about this controversial metal sculpture at Council Bluffs Iowa. As soon as I saw the photo, I said to hubs, “We were through there last fall and I have a photo of that sculpture too!”
Because my photo was shot through the tinted front window of our truck, the white balance was skewed. I corrected it in one move in Lightroom. Here’s a before and after:
Today’s post seemed the easiest way to share my photo with Charla and to introduce my readers to her informative, educational, and entertaining blog.
A week ago yesterday, when my morning power walk took me throughour city campgrounds, I saw a young couple, a small tent, and two bicyclesat one of the campsites.
I walked past but my mind kept nagging me to go back and say hi.
I finally gave in and am so happy I did.
I greeted them and then asked to take a few photos of them, their tent, their bikes, and their post-breakfast picnic table. I explained that I’d like their permission to share the photos on my blog.
They agreed without hesitation and, as I was taking the photos, we conversed about their trip.
They were from Quebec (a province in eastern Canada), and although they had French accents, their English was excellent.When I complimented them on their English, they explained that they had to not only study English in high school, but their courses required them to practice the language with fluent English-speaking Canadians. This approach was definitely far superior to my own requirement to study French in high school, where it was classroom only.Canada is a bilingual country, thus the “other official language” requirement for school students.
Marilou and Leo graciously gave me permission to use their first names in my post.
There had been rain in the morning, but they said they were dry and cozy in their tent
When I first arrived, Leo was doing breakfast dishes at their picnic table.
Basic meal gear when biking
My cover photo is of their bicycles.
They told me they had started their ride in Vancouver, Canada (our far west coast) and were cycling back home to Sherbrooke, Quebec (near Montreal). Depending on their route, this is a minimal distance of approximately 5069 km (3150 miles), and goes through the Canadian Rockies. Our city park isn’t even the half way point for them.
I wished this friendly young couple good weather, safety, and enjoyment for the rest of their trip.
This type of tenacity, commitment, and friendliness to complete strangers is found in rare and beautiful souls. My life is richer for having met them.
Radically Retired 