How Can We Call These Men Leaders?

Above that odd log, deep in the background, a couple of anglers fish. They caught nothing.

I spent a couple of hours last night preparing for Tilcon, but I abruptly stopped when Matt called upstairs to tell me he had a fever of 101. (No, not nostalgia for entry-level university courses.) He had just finished getting Lightroom up for me; all that's left to do with the computer is work out a few remaining loose ends; the camera works fine; apparently there never was a problem with it, so I'm embarrassed before Nikon USA for sending it in for warranty repair--I told Matt to sleep and see what the temperature is in the morning. 

It was 101, so we cancelled on Tilcon. Anyhow, I got gear in some order for any coming outings.

Morristown Memorial Hospital screened Matt over the phone. Very little chance it's the virus. New Jersey Department of Health told us it's OK I go to work. The prospect of two weeks off did not feel right. I like a check at the end of the year for all of my sick days, unused. And I do not like to deal with the state for unemployment insurance. You don't get your full paycheck's worth, anyhow.

We're far from the end of the pandemic. More than 675,000 Americans died from the Spanish flu in 1918. Approximately one third of the world's population was wiped out.


With temperatures in the 60's, I expected Bedminster Pond to be on fire. I did catch some bass. Little ones about six inches long. Three of them, like last time, though I fished a full two hours. Lost a crappie bigger than the bass. Used in-line spinners again. Fished the sunny side. Water's warmer there. The best moment was getting a camera shot I especially like. I felt for a moment as if I might return to normal, confident reality.

But of course, just as I get my life back in order, mass death descends upon my countrymen.

What does fishing matter in the face of impending disaster? KC at the supermarket insists life goes on. It does, and it's important to maintain normal activities like fishing. But to turn a blind eye to what's happening to our country is not patriotic. Fishing is a way to gather thoughts.

I will survive. I can't promise you more than that, but I'm confident I will, and my wife and son. But if America has any value at all, other people besides myself and my family matter, too. Some I don't like. For example, I didn't like the demeanor of national leaders on TV today. OK, OK. They were being somber. But frankly, something all too clean about them, while they misled us about facts on the ground, appalled me. Nothing about their behavior fully convinced me they care. And this is the country they supposedly lead.

Facts on the ground. Pence said you can go to your doctor and request a test. But that is what I mean by misleading. What's the point, but to learn you can't get a test? My wife spoke to the New Jersey Department of Health. There is no availability here.

How can we call these men leaders, when they will not speak to us?

Providence

Two Trips Planned

Tilcon with my son Friday. Tilcon with Oliver Round on the 24th.

Friday depends on the two of us getting Lightroom up and various problems I have with this new computer sorted out, including printer connection. Plan on doing all this by night. I told Matt he gets my old computer--he sells mother boards and such--and gets a new jigging rod for Florida as his reward.

Looking forward to these outings. Salmon are the main concern. But so far, I feel as if life is too complicated to get there. You don't give in to such feelings, if you want to move ahead. You get the gear in order, go, and find it's the best thing you could have done. Even today's short stint at Bedminster Pond reminded me that the best thing to do for anxiety and depression can never be contained in a pill, but will always be getting outdoors.

Bass Astir

I had time to get out and fish Bedminster Pond for about an hour. I had gone to my study while my wife tried to connect my Optimum email to Microsoft Office 2019 Outlook. (It took her three hours, but she did it. Optimum sold out to Altice Mobile, and we now find the service awful. Optimum service used to be golden. My wife got my email up. I have very low IQ for that sort of thing.)

I figured it was a good idea to be gone so she could work in peace. I took Sadie along, no hesitation, but Trish did say, "If you don't take her, I'm not doing this." Earlier, we took a hike at Round Valley, and she wanted to go all the way to the ramp and back. I was halfway miserable after these nearly two months of chaos since Florida, since apparently my Nikon D850 needs to go back for warranty service again, as if they did nothing after I sent it back to them two weeks ago. (I might be wrong. It might be that I'm so mentally freaked out over everything, I couldn't judge the reality, when perhaps nothing was wrong with it.)

All said, though, Round Valley this afternoon resonates well with me as I write now, because on the whole, it was a good time. Especially remember the sound of a pileated woodpecker hammering a hollowed tree. That was amazing.

I took my D7100 to Bedminster Pond--it seems to have the same problem as my D850, which is absurd. I'm wondering also if my eyes have got really bad. Mostly, I must be a little nuts from all the anxiety of these months. I also said stuff at work I definitely should not have said, but at the time,  it seemed right. Problem is, it wasn't right. Hope things go OK there tomorrow.

So I went fishing again. And it kind of felt as if reality is still somehow there. I had gone to my wrecked study, which I'm beginning to put back in place, sat down, strung up my favorite St. Croix, tied on a ball bearing swivel (I found only one, somehow only one, in a bag in my plug box, where snap swivels are supposed to be, at least that much checked out), and then I snapped on a knock-off CP Swing I made when I was 17 years old.

At the pond, I realized it was really a good opportunity to fish a Rebel Minnow on the surface. Calm. Warmed. Some fish swirling. But I fished that spinner slowly, and caught three little largemouths from about four to six inches long. I missed one hit from a bass that might have been nine inches.

Got a photo of my first bass. But before I left the pond, I realized I had shot it in RAW, figuring it would have been wise to select RAW+JPG so I could load the image files and simply upload the JPG here on the blog.  I'm a long way yet from getting Lightroom up.

Not in mental shape right now to get things like the right file selection on my camera right. Just the same, it was nice fishing.

18-Inch Largemouth

Why I Own Canoes and no Boat as Such

This keeps poking into mind, but I dismiss it, because my mind is made up. So go figure. Maybe it's telling me I should share it. But it's not as if I have any advice to help you, just a slice of my story for entertainment. The previous post today might be helpful, if you buy from Amazon.

Years ago now. A decade ago and more. I had a deep, deep longing to buy a boat. I would even keep it here in the lot. We have a Condo Association that forbids the likes, but back then, no one bothered. (Now they fine you if you put a tarp over your bicycle on your own porch.) Problem was, the highest amount I had in my savings those years was about $700.00. I had got back into getting articles published, but as yet, I was spending most of the earnings on outings. I remember paying as much as $135.00 for boat rental and bait at Dow's.

Since the middle of the previous decade, I've advanced my finances considerably, just by freelancing. Even so, it remains like a separate micro-economy. I get articles published for earnings as little as $30.00, and only a relative few pay as much as $700.00. Low figure payments matter essentially, though, because earnings build over time. But we're still not talking about very serious money.

But buy a boat? Since I buy $1500.00 lenses and the like, it's easy to see I can afford one, but I depend on my two canoes. And continue to rent from Dow's. And when we go to Florida, rent a big one. I like to go out in Fred's 14-foot V-hull, too. Storage fees would be outrageous and the distance from home a problem.

I prefer to spend money on photography. The three books of photos I've been planning on for at least the past six years--Lake Hopatcong, the Raritan River System, Round Valley--these may be no more than a pipe dream, but they motivate my picture taking. The way I see it, if I can recapture the words that sailed into my head while on the job at Shop Rite, investing more than 5500 dollars now in D850 photography--this figure does not include my many lenses--puts me on a adventure full of mystery, because there's really no telling how I may or may not profit, but at the very least, it does satisfy my addiction to the images I produce.

My wife's realism--I will not profit one iota. It's all for my own pleasure. My old Nikon D7100, which I haven't sold,, is good enough for the highest-end outdoor magazines. I paid 800 for that.

But I am obsessive. That answer just doesn't satisfy me. I've seen my own results from the D850, so I know I can get shots even editors of lesser magazines have salivated over,. I can never get close to  these with my D7100. I have to pay high price to satisfy what I see, but why not? I earn the money.


Adventure in the Underground Economy

Everyone Buys Amazon so Beware

Tuesday night, I weighed choice between buying a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 or buying Office 2019. Two choices, the latter. A download or a key. In the process of search, I clicked on "key" in Amazon, which I later recognized was a mistake. I was simply curious about what Amazon might inform me. Well, not enough. I drove to Best Buy to talk to real people.  I had bought my new Asus laptop through Best Buy. There I saw 2019 with the key for $249.99, (I would have just installed my old 2013, but I hadn't uninstalled it from my former computer, now partially dismantled.) On Amazon, the key version was $218.99.

I regretted not buying from a real store. Giving them my business,. But 32 bucks. To me, that's a lot.  I got home and told my wife all about my encounters and the price, and she said, "That's why Best Buy is going out of business. Everyone buys Amazon."

In the meantime, I joined a few photo forums and posed questions about any advantage of One Drive 1T for D850 photography. (Office 365.) I judged the advantages are dubious at best. The Publisher feature might have come in handy if no commercial publisher cares about my book, but I see I can buy it separately for like $59.99, and besides, other applications for sale might be better.

So. I went to Amazon to place my purchase, saw the price had gone up to $249.99, and immediately remembered that moment I clicked on "key" the night before. I felt certain they had raised the price on me. I searched and searched for a better price. I certainly wasn't gong to fall for a knock-off or malware "tech" support, but I did find one seller that seemed aboveboard, though I would have to wait on shipping. (We have Amazon Prime.) I judged that I've grown up enough not to rely on a seller I can only judge seems OK.  I play it fast and loose with inexpensive fishing tackle, and so far, have not been ripped off, though I've waited as long as a month to get items. It's different with software. I really want to be certain what I'm installing on my computer is good. (I once bought a $1500.00 Nikon lens from a Manhattan seller Ken Rockwell does not recommend for $1199.99, and it works perfectly OK, but my days of taking chances like that are done, I hope.)

I tried to switch to my wife's account. Didn't have her password. She was asleep. It was not worth $32.00 to wake her.

I bought it. Recounted this to her minutes ago. Immediately, she said, "They raised the price on you. You need to go to a computer with a different IP address. Wouldn't have mattered, had you switched to my account."

"I could have gone to the library."

"Yes, and accessed your account there....But you would have got it a day later."


How's the WH?

A Big Slowdown

Hoped to take my laptop in today to have files transferred. The new Asus with a solid state drive has arrived, but I find what I've read about installing Lightroom on the new computer challenging, and want to go over it with my wife, who is better technically skilled than I am.

I just got off the phone with Nikon USA. On it for more than an hour. I went to Round Valley with my wife on Sunday, and found my refurbished D850 doesn't focus. In the process of technical support, I also found it doesn't even select proper ISO and shutter speed automatically. I did learn, before I made the purchase, that Nikon has no return policy, only warranty service. Had I paid some $300.00 more at Adorama, I could have returned the camera. I am pleased Nikon is paying for the shipping. I also somehow lost the invoice that proves purchase, which came in the box, so I asked if they would please email another. The past month has been chaos, and though I knew I needed to hold on to that invoice, it got away. You would think a business would have no problem with that. I made the purchase two weeks ago. Surely it's on record. All else about their offering me a refurbished unit after finding my previous D850 was damaged by salt water beyond economical repair is there. I'm left with no positive word on the issue to assure that I can get this camera insured. She said she would try. Now I'm wondering if it's a Catch 22, and when I go to the warranty service process, I find I need that proof of purchase, even though they have record of this. Surely it's not that bad, but in the past, I sent in my D7100 for work there, and they did not do it. I had to send it in again. Then the work was done.

Small business is competitive and serves you well, if such a business is to survive. The tech on the phone was patient, I give her credit for that.

Refurbished cameras go through intense quality control. At least, they're supposed to. What else can I infer from this debacle, but that someone did not do his job?

Update: I got the invoice by email from Nikon. Good. Yes, I needed it to get warranty service.

Lenny, Were Trout Stocked?

Lenny, my friend Oliver fished the river over your way recently. I'm wondering if it was stocked this past spring or fall. He caught nothing, fly fishing nymphs.