Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I'm trying to wade through specs and think about what I want for the new camera. I wish I had never dropped lil' black in the ocean! Now that I'm looking into new cameras, I'm finding I had pretty much I what I wanted: small but not so small as to feel flimsy, manual settings for those times I want to experiment, the flip screen LCD was a dream, easy controls, AA batteries. I've thought about buying my little camera again but I don't want used (I think about how many times I dropped my camera) and deadstock runs about twice as much as I paid 1.5 years ago. So, the hunt continues. Here are some of the candidates so far. Maybe by writing a little about each camera will help me figure it all out. And of course I'm open to suggestions. :)

Canon Powershot SX10is
Kind of like a DSLR without being a DSLR. The only flip screen LCD I could find! Decent reviews. The controls to which I'm accustomed. 20X zoom? Wow.

The cons...I went and held it in the store and it was BIG and heavy. The lens does not retract and I hear a lot about the lens cap popping off all the time. The photos I could see on the LCD were 'eh', but then again, it was on the LCD. And if I'm going this big, should I spend the extra bux and buy an DSLR?

Canon Powershot G10
Sweet style. Very much the same size as lil' black. Controls are familiar. I checked this one in the store too and despite the fact I had written it off (cons to follow), the photos I took looked great on the LCD. Wide angle!

The cons...too many MP for its sensor which, according to reviews, equals some so-so photo quality in certain situations. Pricey! So pricey. And, no beloved flip LCD.

Canon EOS Rebel XS
Had to throw one DSLR in the mix. I told myself when lil' black was gone, I'd get a DSLR. Now that time has come, I'm not sure if I really want one. I carry my camera everywhere. Do I really want to lug an extra couple pounds around in my bag? And who am I kidding? I'm no professional. Do I want the steep learning curve? Then there's all the lenses and filters that one feels compelled to buy. Besides, I'm playing with a SLR already. I don't need to have two.

And just so you don't think I'm all Canon, all the time, what about Nikon? I was a Nikon'er through and through as I used to have a little Nikon that I loved. However, everything that I'm trying to find right now just isn't happening in a Nikon. And since I replaced the Nikon with lil' black (a Canon), I found I really loved my Canon. I guess I'm fickle, eh?

As I continued my research, I found the type of camera I want is called a "prosumer" (you don't want just little snappy shooter, but you don't want a brick either). As I looked, a couple of other choices appeared.

Panasonic DMC-LX3
I never used to think about Panasonic for cameras, but I've seen some flickr folks use them with great success. They have amazing Leica lenses and get super reviews. Crisp, clear photos. The right amount of MP for their sensors.

The cons? Spendy, spendy. Small learning curve, since I've never owned a Panasonic.

And what the heck? Let's throw it in there...

Leica C-Lux 3
Sharp, vivid photos. Very style-y.

The cons? Spendy. And yeah, it's just a little speedy shooter which blows my "small, but not flimsy" (and pretty much every other) requirement out of the water.

What have I learned today? Ummm, not much except I'd better start saving my money.

Summer is...

slurpees (cola and cherry mixed)
all fans on
milkshakes (vanilla--kidlet, boysenberry--me, butterscotch--hubs)
hoping the Char-Pit is in my not-so-distant future
feet in the river
the peach ladies at the farmer's market
wishing the house was cool enough to bake a pie
thinking about camping (and hopefully doing it again soon)
flip flops and skirts
lakes

Mini Book Reviews

The Long Embrace? Ugh! Let me go! I read about twenty pages and it was laughably bad. Maybe I should have given it a little longer, but I have little time left in my summer reading season before school kicks in. It will be shoved into a book shelf until I have one of those "I have nothing to read" days.

Rabbit, Run? This one has me so thoroughly sucked in. It's a struggle for me to put down this book at night when it's time for bed. The characters are not particularly likable, but they are real. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series but I think I'll take a little break and hit something else on my list first. Probably a little Moomin (I can review this one already...brilliant! Fantastic! The illustrations are amazing!) followed by The Time Traveler's Wife...

The Road To and Fro

The open road. I felt a little carsick, it had been so long since I'd been a passenger. The road unwound before us and rolled over small summits, cut swaths through pine forests, and eventually curled it's way up to the old volcano lake. A perfect camp site awaited and my voice was lost (and the cough that never seemed to end was found...until I got home).

The next day, the road brought us closer to the ocean. It took us to an Enchanted Forest that thrilled little girls (and me) to no end. As it grew dark and we continued our journey, I felt as though we were being launched into space since it was all unfamiliar and the road twisted with unexpected turns through the dense forest. We reached our destination late: a small yellow house located a few blocks from the beach, generously shared by friends.

The beach! We spent days looking for shells, wading, hiking, searching for signs of sea life. Listening to the waves, feeling the mist (when it was there, it was a very sunny trip), watching the light flicker on the waves were all restorative.

Museums...Marsh's Free Museum and the Columbia River Maritime Museum, both excellent in their own way.

And then the road home. We were ready to return, making time, taking the most direct route. Now that I'm here, I wish I was there. Despite my newly discovered status as a not-so-great-traveler (why couldn't I loosen up and let go?), home brings an impossible heat wave, work, and short tempers. Today, I'll daydream about cool breezes while I wade through it all. And I'll also daydream about a new camera, since I dropped mine in the ocean. Photos will be scarce until I can find an old camera to use. Now I need to wander about and see what you've all been up to for the past week and a half....

See You Later, Sailor

This little family will be on the blustery beaches of Washington and Oregon with another little family for the next week and a half. We'll be back with tales of mermaids, oysters and tide pools soon.

Summer Reading

From top to bottom: One Hundred Years of Solitude--Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Rose Garden--Maeve Brennan
Becoming a Writer--Dorthea Brande
New Moon--Stephanie Meyer
Rabbit, Run and Rabbit Redux--John Updike
The Time Traveler's Wife--Audrey Niffenegger
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Vol. 4--Tove Jansson
(not pictured, as it is in transit) The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved--Judith Freeman
(also not pictured, as it was forgotten) In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed--Carl Honore

My stack is tall, but what has been actually read so far is more along the lines of the short stack.

One Hundred Years...I read this book about a dozen years ago and about all I remembered was that I liked it well enough. I never kept the names of the characters straight but that doesn't feel wrong. It's a very dreamlike book so I felt fine floating on through. The last 50 pages are worth the price of admission, to be sure.

The Rose Garden...I've stammered and stalled with this one. It's a collection of short stories and I think I've started the second one three times now. On the New Yorker Fiction podcast in December (if I remember rightly), I heard a brilliant story authored by Brennan. I think I just need to get in the mood for snooty wealthy folks.

Becoming a Writer...Ummm...it's a dream I've had since about 3rd grade but I'm lacking on the talent side. I ordered this online and now that I've done a quick flip through I think I may have owned this about 25 years ago, the last time I thought seriously about writing. Ha ha.

New Moon...I thought Twilight was mediocre (it all has to do with that "Becoming a Writer" thing; I feel I could do better). However, I decided to just go along for the ride (a nice, fluffy ride) and enjoy it. This book felt like a giant lead-up to the episode, which I'm sure I'll zoom through sometime this fall.

Rabbits...When Updike passed on while I was doing my research on women's roles in the mid-20th century, I realized these might be a fun read. They are coming along on vacation and I'm excited.

Time Traveler...I actually know nothing about this book but when I was seeing buzz about it in bloggyland, I wrote it down on my massive list of "to read". I hope to start and finish it before school starts (oh!).

Moomin...Can never go wrong with dear Moomin. I need to be more Moominmamma-like: unflappable, kind, and wise.

The Long Embrace...How am I going to get through all these books this summer?! I'm hoping this one arrives before vacation since I'd like to be able to switch it up with Updike. I adore Chandler and this has been on the aforementioned "to read" list for about a year and a half now. This sorta-kinda biography gets mixed reviews but I think I'll still like it.

Slowness...Hmmm...this book is not quite what I expected. I'm about 80% finished and it is the most breezily written book. It races along from snippet to snippet, which I find quite funny for a book about slowness. I was hoping for a book that was more about techniques for finding space in one's day. I guess every book can't be a winner, eh?

What are you reading? Can you add to my "to read" list?

Summer Cold

Really, I've never seen my body react so violently to the possibility of fun and relaxation. It seems every time some sort of exciting event starts to come my way, things start unraveling. Last year, Kidlet was the bearer of my anxiety with an ear infection launched just a couple days before jumping on a plane to Disneyland. This year, I'm living with post-concussive syndrome and I just caught a cold. I really have to get this anxiety thing under control. As soon as I'm back from vacation. Heh.

And in a strange twist of fate, work seems to be busier than it's been in many months. Where are my days of quietude? It's hard to push through the sludge of this week with my soft-focus brain but I'm giving myself pep talks daily and feel I'm holding my own.

Back to vacation list making...ahhh, list making...how I love ye.

Post Bonky Syndrome

Today is the first full day back at work post 'bonky on the conky'. Oh dear. I'm hoping I'll be able to stay on track and not get too scatterbrained (or tired for that matter). I feel a bit like I had some strange little mini staycation, during which I did little but let myself get chauffeured around, stare off into space and listen to podcasts. I guess I could consider it part one to my real vacation next week. Here's to hoping my workmates don't feel too resentful of all the time off I've had to take and am about to take. I didn't mean to get hit on the head, that's for sure.

I didn't really have a good photo for this post so I popped this one in from our state museum trip yesterday. I guess you could say "I hope work goes better than getting mauled by an ancient pachyderm." Yeah.

Happy Fourth of July

I feel a little more hope this year for our country than I have for some time. Enjoy the day! How I wish sparklers were legal around here...

This Woman Has My Dream Job

Fresher than Fresh Sno-Cones.

For years, I have done internet research into shaved ice machines, small trailers, syrups...maybe if the school thing doesn't work out, I can sell sno-cones in summer and crepes in the winter.

via Andrea

one way to get over a concussion

Last day of my mini-non-vacation (yes, I am still bitter). We went to the beach for a while today and that soothed away some of my grumpiness. Back to work tomorrow. We'll see how that goes...

sleep, concussed

This afternoon, I had a dream that gave me the plot for a young children's novel. I also dreamed The Police were coming out with a new album and I helped write a song.

morning

I couldn't remember if I had put the sugar in the pancake batter.

broken head, broken plans

While Greg was doing test rides, preparing for his ride across the state, I was making lists and gradually stacking things in piles. Kidlet, Kiko Dog and I were going to drive out to pick him up and camp in Great Basin National Park. Greg left on his ride a week ago Friday. We were to meet today. I am at home and my blessed Mom-in-Law is driving out to meet him, with the fancy French wine with which we were going to celebrate his achievement. Yeah. I got a concussion on Tuesday due to my incredible klutziness (I slammed my head on a steel support while I was standing up under said steel support). I've been feeling sick, not myself, and headache-y ever since.

Today, as I drove the wine and other treats across town to my Mom-in-Law, I thought "What are you doing? You should be going." As I drove back across town to drop her dog off at her mother's house, I could feel my concentration waning, a tightening between my eyes forming. Ok, we made the right decision not to go but I'm still disappointed as hell.

I'm proud of you, Boo. I wish we were there to share the wine and hear about your adventure. Linda, thanks for volunteering to help me out of a tough situation. Mama, thanks for all your support. And Debbie and Patrick, y'all are just too sweet. At least I've got good people, even if I don't have all my faculties about me.

And he's off...

Locked and loaded, ready to roll...

...ride safe, Boo. May there be a cool breeze at your back, the skies be empty of rain, and soft ground to lay your head at night. We'll see you in a week on the other side.

The Smiley Stuff

Bean tagged me for a meme that originally asked what were 'six unimportant things that make you happy'. Bean changed it to 'six silly things that make you happy'. I'm sticking with Bean since these things aren't unimportant (to me anyway). These small things contribute greatly to my happiness.

1.. I love old signage (see awful photo above). I love the stuff that makes you think of the '30s, '40s and '50s. I'm old fashioned in many ways and I like to daydream about the past. Old stuff seems to be filled with much more style and panache (in my wee humble opinion).

1a.. I also love hand painted signs (ala those shown here, via Slimbolala).

2.. Summer treats. I love sno-cones, milkshakes, pies, and smores. But I can be healthy too; I also love peaches, cherries, and any berry that I can get my paws on.

3.. Gliding on my skateboard. I'm still only brave enough to ride around the warehouse when no one is there. It's smooooooooth.

4.. A good cup of coffee. 'Nuff said.

5.. Smooth rocks that you can put in your pocket. Not rocks that stop your skateboard from gliding (see number 3).

6.. Kidlet's embellishments on her schoolwork. The work she brings home is always decorated with little doodles of happy faces, critters, awards, stars and hearts.

I'm terrible about tagging so I won't but don't let that stop you from doing this meme. Even if you just do it mentally or jot your answers down on a piece of paper, thinking about the things that make you happy equals good.

Stepping out of the Corner for a while

I'm not blogging a whole lot lately and while Corner View is a good excuse for me to blog, I just can't give it the attention I'd like. I can barely make it around to see all the other glorious views! I'm sure once things settle down, I'll hop back in.

My life is full of lists right now. You'd think going for a 4 day, 3 night camping trip wouldn't take so much planning. We haven't camped in ages and I'm pulling out all the old gear, assessing its condition. I want to make it as plush as possible since hubby will have just spent a week cycling across the state and I'd like him to be able to feast on good food and be comfortable. And besides, I like to camp in style if I don't have to carry it all on my back. French press coffee? Smoked salmon? Fancy cheese? Wine? Yes to all. Now I just have to make it through the week and a half before I actually get to go somewhere. Road trip, how I love ye.

A tip...no matter how cool you think those raindrops look on your rear view mirror as you drive down the road, you may not want to attempt the shot while driving. Maybe pull over before you start fiddling with the controls on the camera. Just a thought.

Back soon with a meme from lovely Bean!

Corner View...Looking Out Our Back Door

Looking from left to the middle...

and then to the right. I wanted to knit these photos together so you could get the full view but I didn't have time to learn Photoshop this morning (heh heh). The ornamental grasses are totally taking over...they've covered the path.

And in the winter...
to an early warm spring day...

A close up of the red roses...it's the days of wine and roses, my friends.

The sky has been amazing with all the crazy rain we've been having.

When I need a moment to myself, I poke my head out the back door and breathe. The baby birds chirrup, the parents sing. In mid-summer, hummingbirds whirl about the flowers as do the butterflies. In late summer when the crazy onions with the white flowers overrun the yard, bees buzz and the yard hums with their buzzing. I try to have a nature-friendly yard and I'm greatly rewarded. I don't use any chemicals or fertilizers and I don't water enough for our desert climate, but a master gardener lived here years ago and the bones of good plantings have done fairly well despite my lack of gardening skills. My backyard is definitely one of the best things about living in this tiny house.

Take a look out the back door all across the world...jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, doobleh-vay

Check One, Check Two...

Wow, I'm tired. Kidlet coaxed us into camping in the backyard last night. We are testing and checking all the camping gear to make ready for Hubby's cross-state cycling trip (and Kidlet's, Kiko's and my ensuing trip to pick him up and do a little camping). Hubby went inside around midnight since he wasn't at all tired. Me? I tossed and turned the night away with little snippets of sleep in between. Kidlet slept well and was cozy in her little sleeping bag. Kiko couldn't decide which part of the family she wanted to be with: the outdoor sleepers or her best person who was inside the house. My favorite part of the evening was when I awoke to hear the coyotes yipping in the middle of the night. Did you know the birds wake up at 3:30 in the morning? Neither did I.

I'm thinking of going analog for the cross-state trip. I have an old Nikon SLR a friend loaned me (last summer!) and I have yet to give it a go. I'm also thinking of picking up a pack of Polaroid to give that devilish camera one more chance before I relegate it to a box in the garage. I guess the best idea would be to do a test run with the Nikon before we actually go since it would be a shame to think I was being a dutiful documentarian and instead I come back with blank or ruined rolls of film.

I apologize the blogging has been a bit sparse as of late. I'm trying to spend less compy time and more reading/knitting/film time but in reality it has been 'more sleep' and 'organize the house' time. There's not much you can blog about when life is lots of summer daydreaming, work, and tidying. It'll change. Perhaps it's the calm before the fun storm? See you Wednesday for Corner View...

Corner View...Beach

While we live about 4.5 hours from an ocean beach, we are lucky to have two amazing lake beaches within 45 minutes from home. One is in the desert, the other the mountains. Here, let me get out of the way so you can see our desert lake better...

It's always exciting once you've entered the Paiute reservation. You've been driving for miles through the sage-covered hills but then you drive over the last little hill and it's magic: you see a turquoise gem shining amid the dry, pale brown hills. Pyramid Lake is a very spiritual place, both for the native people who live there as well as some of us visitors (except for the stupid kids who spray paint on the rocks, leave trash etc....but I digress). The Brown Pelican makes its home here and I never can get a good photo of one, but they are fun to watch flying close over the water. Pyramid Lake is really very other-worldly. And so pretty.

The other lake is definitely more well-known, Lake Tahoe. I couldn't find a basic Tahoe photo; I always have to be artsy-fartsy, taking super-close-up views. Lake Tahoe is up in the mountains, icy cold, deep blue and clear. It's always more crowded than Pyramid, but it has its charms too...

...such as my favorite milkshake and fry stand to go to after being in the sun and cold water! It always comes back to milkshakes. Sigh.

For more of the beach vacation, visit jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, couturecoucou, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage,trinsch, c.t.,jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, dongdong, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana,denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, ruth, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e,janis, kari, jgy, jenna, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa,britta, virgina, april, rebecca, b, kyndalesamantha, karen, kristina, angelina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, nicki, ruth, mcgillicutty,

desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama

amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille