The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

[Hunkydory]

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.

That's what works for me!!----and Jim, really admire your ability to go from the extremely complex to very simple, enjoying and being very good at both. The simple part of just capturing that image, which at times only appears in the head and in the view finder for an instant is the part I most enjoy with a camera. Was somewhat surprised that with your obvious talent and professional ability it seems similar with you.

Think I'll be looking into that same camera for our travels. My present Konica Minolta Dimage G600 has many of the same features, but does use to much power with the viewer and have missed to many shots with the shutter lag.

Jay

 

[JamesTXSD]

Regarding the logo: no, Warren, no plan to put it on anything except here. Some designs that look good in print just don't reproduce well on fabric. This particular image has too many small components. Here's my "official" Wild Blue hat...



Just the name with the proper fonts to match the boat. Now, keep in mind that if you wear a hat with the name Lori Ann on it, people are going to wonder about you. :wink: Maybe something like: "M/V Lori Ann".

These days, my wardrobe leans more towards pocket t-shirts (so I have a place to put a camera 8) ) and shorts.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[Steve Grover]

Wild Blue....I think that has something to do with the eyes :roll: If so, should be Wildest Blue As far as the GRAY fuzz, they now make dye for boys with gray fuzz. :wink

 

[JamesTXSD]

Wild Blue....I think that has something to do with the eyes :roll: If so, should be Wildest Blue As far as the GRAY fuzz, they now make dye for boys with gray fuzz. :wink

Hi Steve,

Joan is the only one in the family with blue eyes. 8) If it was named after mine, it might have to be Wild Bloodshot. Sounds better than Wild Hazel.

I'm OK with the gray beard. I shaved it off years ago when a guy in the studio asked Joan if I was her Dad. Seems that everytime I let it grow, it comes back grayer. So, you don't think it looks distinguished? Extinguished? I just got it past the itchy stage, so I may keep it for a while, now.

Have fun with your travels this winter.

-----------------------------------------

Hi Jay,

Don't buy a camera based on my choice. This one works for me, but there are SO many choices out there, today. The price was right at a Circuit City going-out-of-business sale. I guess I'm just traditional enough that I like a viewfinder, instead of the LCD. Besides the fact that it saves battery power, it's much steadier holding against my forehead instead of holding it out at arm's length.

I might suggest one of the waterproof offerings for an adventuring guy like yourself. You know, for the next time you decide to run that boat over a rapids! :shock:

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

A day of cruising on the ICW. No big story today, just some images of the waterway...

I enjoy the way the sky and water nearly blend at the horizon on these hazy sunny days...





And the view out the back...



There were dolphins...



And lots of birds. Flocks of ducks heading south. Pelicans gliding along in ground effect over the water. And these two in silhouette, sharing a marker...



A view down the side, with South Padre Island barely visible at the horizon...



Warm today, with the thermometer just reaching 80º. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer, then decreasing temps for the weekend. Should be a good day for a Thanksgiving beach walk.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[JamesTXSD]

It's been a few days since I've posted here. Mother Nature has blessed us with beautiful weather since we've been back. Cruising along South Padre Island yesterday morning, I did get the chance to use the windshield wipers a bit... it was a gentle rain - the kind you could keep your windows open a bit, and the temp was pleasant (t-shirts and shorts weather).

I haven't been spending as much time on the computer due do a "boat related" incident. I think I may have developed carpel tunnel because of all the time I spend here and on a couple sailing forums! :crook My right wrist was hurting like hell yesterday when I got off the boat and onto the computer. I may have to spend more time on the water and less time online.

The local cruising has been good. Surprising how few boats we've seen out and about. And the weather has been... well, tropical - upper 70s most days, low 60s at night.

I fueled up the boat today... did my typical $100 buy-in... it got me 58.5 gallons this time ($1.69/gal on the water). My best run this season was yesterday: just over 4 hours, covered 22 miles, and used 3.5 gallons; 1800 RPM, the fuel flow meter showed around .9 gal/hr most of the time.

Thanksgiving was great - Joan made a fine turkey and all the trimmings, including "the World's Best Pumpkin Pie", a recipe she took out of Cruising World a couple years ago.

 

[hardee]

Jim said:

"I guess I'm just traditional enough that I like a viewfinder, instead of the LCD. Besides the fact that it saves battery power, it's much steadier holding against my forehead instead of holding it out at arm's length.

I might suggest one of the waterproof offerings for an adventuring guy like yourself. You know, for the next time you decide to run that boat over a rapids! "

:wink :smileo :smile

Jim, that is very good advice. A Photography mentor back when taught me that the camera was just a box that kept the lens in front of the film, kept the film dark and kept folks guessing. The true art came from the person using the box. It takes practice and talent to see what the photo will be. (That was before photoshop though.) and I agree,

A waterproof camera makes a nice C-Dory accessory. One upgrade I have enjoyed is the image stabilizer capability. Really helps since most everything taken on the boat is handheld. And the belt camera is the one that is on scene when the picture opportunity presents many times.

Sure enjoy your photos, and I too, often shoot sky and water, for the color and textures. Keep them coming,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[hardee]

Jim Said:

"I may have to spend more time on the water and less time online. "

More good advice from Jim.

That, and watching the hand/wrist/forearm positions. Hey, be good to you Jim, You deserve it :!:

Harvey
SleepyC

 

[JamesTXSD]

Hi C-Brats,

Here's this week's strip...



Dan is getting close to having enough material to submit for syndication/publication. He is a hard-working guy - please send your best wishes his way!

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[hardee]

Jim,

We will do, through you I hope is OK. We have been enjoying the strips all along, and Dan has a unique view and special talent in bringing the elements together. Send our best wishes for continued success in his efforts.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[JamesTXSD]

'Tis the season... fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. This Saturday is the Lighted Boat Parade. We started decorating today, have the base lights down...





We'll fine tune tomorrow. It still needs something tall... I'd like to use last year's inflatable lighthouse. And something down around the coaming; maybe some rope lights.

The weather should be good on Saturday: high in the low 70s during the day, 60s at parade time.

Happy Holidays!

Jim B.

 

[SGIDave]

Hello Jim,

Wild Blue looks very festive. Maybe you and Joan will (again) win the "cooler" or whatever the top prize is this year.

Does the Honda genset handle all those lights?

/david

 

[JamesTXSD]

Hello Jim,

Wild Blue looks very festive. Maybe you and Joan will (again) win the "cooler" or whatever the top prize is this year.

Does the Honda genset handle all those lights?

/david

Hi David,

Right now, I have the lights plugged in to shore power, running through the circuits in the boat. We've added more lights than last year, so I'll do a test run with the Honda 2000 generator tomorrow. With the eco-throttle on last year, it didn't sound like it was maxing out, so I'm thinking we'll be fine.

Regarding winning... until last year, the prizes for the top place in each category were cash plus gift certificates. Last year, they went with merchandise. I haven't heard what's happening this year, but with the economy, I can imagine that donations for prizes will be down. We've taken top in our category a couple times and we've finished out of the running... but, it's always a lot of fun!

We've watched it from shore in years past, and participating is better. :wink: It's a lot of work for one night... I usually try to leave the lights on for a night or two after the parade, but I also want to be out on my boat; and the lights aren't conducive to cruising around. When we take the lights off the boat, we generally put some of them up on the house. Still festive, but just not as much fun.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[red99ryder]

Jim I like the way you have the port and starboard running lights on your antennas . Nice Touch .
red

 

[Pat Anderson]

Geez, too bad you aren't going on the Lake Washington & Ship Canal cruise next weekend. You'd beat out Tom's fake reindeer for Roger Bum's prize, wine or non-wine! I was going to try to put something on the 16 this weekend but now you have me discouraged, you have set the bar so dang high! Or is it all a PS trick?? :lol:

 

[JamesTXSD]

We took yesterday off from boat decorating to deal with replacing a faucet in the house. So, we just finished decorating the boat. Shucks, we still have almost 2 hours before the Captains' Meeting for the parade. :wink: Plenty of time.

Since last year when I showed how I made the image with Photoshop, some of you (whose name I won't mention, but it's Pat) think that every image I post here is now suspect. hoto No, the images you saw in my previous post were right off our little point & shoot. I won't be able to shoot anything tonight, since we have to head for the parade route before sunset to get to the judging area in time. And by the time the parade starts, I've generally got my hands full trying to steer clear of the big boats.

If we were out your way, Pat, we'd love to participate in the Lake Washington cruise. I have no idea why I get such a big kick out of playing Clark Griswold on boats... it's just part of the kid in me, I guess.

Our neighbor down the block just started decorating his boat, so I don't feel so much like I waited 'till the very last moment. And the neighbors across the canal told us that they had a card party last night and all the women there think we deserve 1st Place... I take that with a grain of salt, since they haven't seen any of the other boats, yet. :xlol

The weather isn't as nice as originally forecast, but it's 67º right now, partly sunny, and not too windy; we're kicking back, the house smells like fresh baked cookies. Not a bad way to spend a pre-holiday weekend.

Oh, and for Red - I added a few more red and green candy canes on the appropriate sides of the boat. If we anchor out tonight, I think we'll meet that "2 mile" requirement. :xnaughty

Happy Holidays,
Jim

 

[SeaSpray]

Hi Jim,

Very cool! Hope you take first.

Steve

 

[hardee]

Hey Jim,

Beautiful and bright. :hot Matter of fact, we were just coming home from work and noticed a quit bright glow :idea :star :idea :star :idea over the top of the Olympic mountains. Looked like it was coming from right close to Corpus. You must have gotten the Honda 2K with the secret supercharger in it. I'd sure try not to get between the lights and the water. That much power could make quit an ark. :wink We sure don't want you glowing in the dark.

Merry Christmas
Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[JamesTXSD]

What a fun night! This year's Lighted Boat Parade was the best we've been involved with; more boats, great decorations, perfect weather. There was a great turnout with people on-shore to watch.

So, here's a photo essay:

Final prep on Wild Blue...



During the parade...













And how'd we do? Well, thanks for asking. The last shot above was the first place winner in our category (19' to 29' powerboat). Wild Blue took Second Place. Our category was the second largest, behind the Commercial Boats category. The boats this year looked better than ever - we were surprised and delighted with our finish.

Here's the crew at the awards party afterwards...



I had anticipated a smaller turnout and fewer prizes, due to the economy... I was WAY wrong. There were prizes and t-shirts for every participant. For our place, we brought home well over $100 in gift certificates. They fed us at the awards party... seems to me that everyone who participated was a winner.

My neck is stiff from craning over the lights on the bow; nearly 5 hours on the water (glad we have a galley and a head onboard :xlol ). I'm hoarse from calling out "Merry Christmas!" to the folks on-shore. Yeah, it was a great time.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[SGIDave]

Congratulations on a second place finish. It looks like your competition was much keener this year. Well done!

/david