The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Seasons change and so do plans... we have split off from the caravan. It's cold in Florida right now, and we've decided to not go on to the Keys. Brent, Dixie, Jeff, and Joanne should be getting close by now, though. We're going to lay low for a while, but I'm hoping Brent and Dixie will start a thread on their Keys adventures to entertain us through the winter. Have fun down there!

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan
 
Jim and Joan,

Are you staying in the panhandle of Florida? ...or going back home to the Southern tip of Texas?

It was colder in Florida lately than it was in Kansas! Today it is in the 70's and last night's low was in the 50's. Now... there is that cold front coming in tomorrow... oh well.

John
 
JamesTXSD":3z31y8ts said:
Seasons change and so do plans... we have split off from the caravan. It's cold in Florida right now, and we've decided to not go on to the Keys. Brent, Dixie, Jeff, and Joanne should be getting close by now, though. We're going to lay low for a while, but I'm hoping Brent and Dixie will start a thread on their Keys adventures to entertain us through the winter. Have fun down there!
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Sorry to hear you won't be in the Keys. Re: the places in FL you did go to, what were some representative marina gas prices?

Thanks,
Warren
 
Doryman":2t04z6wd said:
Re: the places in FL you did go to, what were some representative marina gas prices?

Thanks,
Warren
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Hi Warren,

Sorry, I can't help you with that - we fueled up when on the trailer. Fuel prices on the road continue to drop, so that's encouraging.

To answer Dr. John's question, we are heading for the warmth - go west, young man. We will be back in Lone Star waters in another day or two.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Wild Blue is back at her home port. There was a light drizzle when we pulled up to the dock, but it wasn't cold. Supposed to be in the upper 70s today, with lows in the 60s. I'm looking forward to not wearing long pants again for a while. :wink:

3,000 miles in three weeks. We'll take a few days to get moved back into the house, then decide what's next. Maybe the lighted boat parade? Maybe Christmas with the kids?

Happy Holiday Wishes,
Jim B.
 
OK all you Southeast brats now we know it's warm in Texas lets load up and go.
We need Byrdman with his mixer. Jim get plenty of Tequila and mix.
DSC03449.jpg

It's a party :beer :beer
Jim, is there a Hooters near by? We like to invite the servers over for breakfast.
See ya in a few Jim. :twisted:
 
Were in Ocean Springs (near Biloxi) and I fueled up yesterday....$1.95 (on the trailer)..... the weather here is cool....no shorts...and cold at night... 30's and LOW40's.. but who cares...we love it...super place...

Yesterday we went back out to Ship Island...in 3 and4' seas...with some wind....no problem ....but we did have water over the top.... when we got up to the dock out there.....some sailboat (a big one) had hit the dock...HARD... and left it's rigging....all of it... mast was underwater... the boom was on the dock...huge boom...I drug the fore sail up on the dock...but could not lift the mast...just to heavy.. sure glad it was not me.... the water there is real shallow...maybe 6' at the dock and he propably high centered and lost control..... they had already hauled him away....we were the only folks out there....and had a great time....

Today we are going exploring in the back bay....should be an adventure..

Joel
SEA3PO
 
Hi Jeff,

The closest Hooters is 24.6 miles away, in Brownsville. If it will help, I can put on the little orange shorts to "dress" for breakfast... try to get that image out of your head. :twisted:

Or, we can just go to our favorite beach bar and grill: Palm Street Pier. $1.50 margaritas, cheeseburgers (in paradise, that are way less $$ than the "official" variety), and great views/sunsets on the bay.

The only thing we are lacking down here is the close proximity of other places to cruise to; the Keys have that in abundance... your Panhandle area is, likewise, "target rich." We'll be back, but next time we'll plan for earlier in the year.

If you're coming this way, I'll buy the tequila. Oh, and thanks for lending Jeff (Kurbit) that chip - it certainly made his first C-Dory experience in your area a much more enjoyable time.

In a few days, we plan to cruise up the ICW to see what Hurricane Dolly did to the Port Mansfield and Arroyo Colorado areas.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Those of us who have been around here for several years know Byrdman was some sort of Emergency Response Team Leader when he was in the U.S. Army before retiring.

It's nice and comforting to know you've got someone on your team who knows how to stay poised under pressure and get the truly important jobs done first when confronting major emergencies and unpredictable outcomes.

DSC03449.jpg

Is this photo in the new C-Dory brochure for 2009 too?


Joe. :teeth :thup
 
After that post discussing cheeseburgers, we went to Palm Street Pier for lunch... a bleu cheese and bacon burger for me, swiss and mushroom burger for Joan. We picked a table in the sun and enjoyed the view of the bay. Yes, Pat, shorts and t-shirts. :wink: We still have a few things to unload from the truck, but it was one of those "it can wait" days... sunshine, warm, and a light breeze. After a short motorcycle ride, I took Wild Blue out for a meandering trip to the jetties. What a day to forget the camera - the dolphins were playing, the pelicans were diving, sailboats were lazily ghosting along. I put the autopilot on and sat back to enjoy the scenery and sunshine.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
We are settled back in, the trailer is in storage, the truck is unloaded... time for an afternoon cruise. And this time, I remembered my camera (picked up a new pocket-size point&shoot. Here's a look out the windshield...

LateAfternoonE.jpg

Heading towards the jetties, I could see a vessel on the horizon. Is that what I think it is?

WhatsThatE.jpg

Avast ye scurvy dogs - prepare to be boarded! Arrrrrrggggh!

ArrrghE.jpg

That's our newest tourist attraction - The Black Dragon. They take people out for a cruise with a pirate flair, including crew in costume, and playing the part. There appeared to be quite a few people onboard. Our hospitality industry here can use all the participation they can get... since the hurricane in July, approximately 65% of our hotels/condos are open again at this time.

Coming in the jetties, you can see that this guy had a real bad day...

OnTheRocksE.jpg

That's a 60+ foot commercial operator, on the rocks. I've heard different stories about how he got there. He had just returned from Mexico with a full load of diesel. I'm guessing by the time he is done with this mess, it's going to be a very expensive trip.

I put the autopilot on, set it to track to a waypoint, and put Radio Margaritaville on the Sirius. Jimmy was singing, "I'd like to be a jellyfish, 'cause jellyfish don't pay rent..." And how's this for timing?

JellyfishE.jpg

There was no sunset because of a large cloud at the horizon, but the pink light from the sky is reflected in those jellyfish. And here's a look at the sky on the way back in...

NoSunsetE.jpg

I took my time coming back in; singlehanding today, and just enjoying the time on the water. It was after dark when I got to our dock, and Joan left the light on for me. With Jimmy still playing, I rinsed Wild Blue down. Nice way to top off the day.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Doryman":2sxjxcl5 said:
JamesTXSD":2sxjxcl5 said:
picked up a new pocket-size point&shoot.
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What did you get, and why?

Warren
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Hi Warren,

This may sound simplistic, but I bought the new Canon A1000 because it is small enough to put in a shirt pocket. Yes, there are plenty of small cameras out there, but this one is similar enough to the S3 that I don't have to learn any other buttons. I wanted as much zoom lens as I could get for the price, preferred fewer pixels (really, after 6 meg, it's overkill for snapshots), and wanted something with very little shutter lag and still had a viewfinder (you use up a lot of battery juice looking at that LCD on the back of the camera). And (my favorite part), it was relatively inexpensive.

I'm certainly not suggesting this would be a good camera for anyone else. I just find that for my personal needs, small (to a point) is good. A few years ago, I bought Joan a small Nikon that had terrible shutter lag and the buttons were so small and close together that when I used it, I was always pressing the wrong button. :crook

You may know that we were early adopters of digital technology. This little camera has more pixels and cost about 1/100th of what we used to use in the studio. Ain't technology grand? :wink:

Oh, and... umm... er... it's just a little box to capture the image. The image happens in the head before you press the button. :mrgreen:

Best wishes,
Jim
 
JamesTXSD":3oz6nnmw said:
wanted something with very little shutter lag and still had a viewfinder
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It's really hard to find a P&S with acceptable shutter lag, or at least it has been. Maybe this is the beginning of a trend. One can hope.

I may have overlooked it, but the Canon web page for this model does not list a RAW mode. True? I shoot 100% RAW+JEPG these days and would think you would want to also, given your skills with Photoshop and Camera RAW.

Warren
 
Hi Warren,

I wasn't looking for RAW capability, but easy, simple, small, and inexpensive. This camera has no manual settings for f/stop or shutter speed. I have a Nikon DSLR that hasn't been out of the case in months. When I do pull it out, it's impressive in its capabilities, but is more bulk than I want to carry while out wandering around. Even my little Canon S3 (which fits my hand comfortably) is sometimes more bulk than necessary. I consider this A1000 to be one step up from a cell phone camera.

There was about 10 seconds of PS work on the photos in my last post, and that's the ease I was looking for. JPG is fine for a camera like this for my use.

Photography isn't my hobby, but I do like to have a camera that will let me capture some memories of the things we do. So far, this one seems to fit the need. You know what I used to do for a living, but that doesn't mean I want to spend my time working up images. Fast, easy, cheap... about the same way Joan describes me. :mrgreen:

With the camera prefocused and no need for the flash, the shutter lag is nearly imperceptible. It sure isn't perfect, and I probably won't be creating photographic art, but did I mention: easy? :wink:

Best wishes,
Jim

PS - Just to flex my PS muscles, yesterday I worked up a new signature image (see below).
 
Just for you, Warren, here's a shot I took yesterday...

ForWarrenE.jpg

It might seem rather nondescript... it was a low light condition (check out the color temp, right at dusk), a moving subject, and this little P&S set on "easy" (yes, that's an actual setting). All I did was pan with the flying pelican, the camera did the rest. If there had been any significant shutter lag, I would have missed the shot.

If I had my druthers, I'd have a little more zoom on the wide angle side (it's 35-140 35mm equiv), but it ain't bad.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Jim,

I did indeed notice your new logo. Pretty fancy and very nice!! I'll bet you could license it to Pat and David for a small fee and the next thing you know we could all be drinking the "Adventures of Wild Blue and Crew" Lager. :) :)
 
For sure, I covet the transportability of those shirt pocket cameras. The Admiral just bought one, although without a viewfinder (I think it is a Sony, will have to check.) The very nice pelican shot demonstrates the point that a craftsman knows how to compensate for the limitations of a tool.

Nice logo! I was talking to the local screen print shop about boat shirts and I think I am going to go with heat-transfer vinyl instead of screen (not as crisp) or embroidery (cost). I'm going to need to develop my own line drawing logo for that. Are you planning to put your logo on shirts or hats?

Warren
 
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