It’s all about location.
Super fun weekend! Though we were located very close to boating with otters, and biking well traveled routes, this visit we decided to try something new, and checked out the marsh trails instead. There is a visitor center for the Elkhorn Slough that I had never seen before. The indoor part was closed, but there were rangers outside with lots of information and trail maps.
Looking out over the Slough
We took a very nice walk down along the estuary and all the way to Hummingbird Island. The tide was at its lowest point for much of the hike so we got to see all the birds digging around the newly exposed mud, looking for yummies. We saw otters, but from a distance, floating along the deepest parts of the water channel. And we did spy a hummingbird, but after we left the island. It was a beautiful day, with blue skies and a hint of spring on its way.
Wildflowers starting to bloom
I am working on a new project for something to keep me busy during times when there is no cell service. No, it’s not a pole for the cell booster. We’re thinking that the desire for cell service is more about the discomfort of boredom than it is about the need for connectivity. During the summer, I can get into reading, but on weekends, I find that I am not interested in reading for little fits and spurts, only to forget what I’ve read by the next weekend. I need something like knitting, but don’t want to end up with knitted things. So I’ve spent a long time mentally experimenting with a whole range of possible hobbies. I think I’ve got a potential winner, or at least something to try, but it involves buying things first, which is a win anyway.
Decorative pond sculpture made of embedded shells
I have collected lots of boxes of old family photos. Plus, I’ve got baby albums, Italy albums, wedding albums, etc. These are all things that give me angst when there are fires near our house. To load all of these boxes into the getaway car would be a lot. So I’m going to start scanning them. So far, I’ve accumulated the scanner, a box to put the pictures in, and a box to hold them both. I figure when there is down time, I can easily pull out the scanner and run a few pictures through. It’ll keep me busy for a long long time, and there is no pressure or deadline. And I won’t end up with a bunch of things I need to give away. I mean, candle dipping was another idea, but that didn’t sound very compatible with camping. I really wondered if I could make teeny tiny batches of wine, because that would have been the best hobby. Like I would individually smash the grapes, one at a time, and get miniature oak barrels to somehow age it. And then eventually have enough for one bottle. But it sounds messy. So picture scanning it is.
A very nice day
We love this location. The campground is a very tightly packed KOA, so nothing fancy there. But they totally help people back into the sites when it is tight, and it’s clean and convenient. And they give you cookies. My calorie counting app said I had just enough left for the day on Friday. And it was yummy. Dory is dirty and needs a bath, but no other news to report. Great weekend.
Total miles: 107.8, 18.4 mpg, 3 hours 13 min. Site 35 (assigned on arrival). Full hookups. Great cell service for both. Great solar but didn’t need it.
Been there, done that with family photos and slides. This last round, which started at Thanksgiving, I’m actuall using an app on my iphone and the photos it takes are way better than what I got out of a scanner. It crops and color corrects pretty well, and is fast. You can try it for free for 7 days or 30, I forget which, but it worked so well that I paid for a year (lots of photos and slides…). It’s called Photomyne and has both a desktop app and an iPhone app. Might help you with your project. Good luck!!
Yeah, someone else recommended that app. I’m pretty happy with the scanner quality so far and it’s a fun little activity to keep me occupied. And storage drives come in blue, so I’m all set!