A New Addition To The Stable

With recent talk about cars, basset hounds available for re-home, getting up in the middle of the night and staying up, freezing temperatures just around the next corner and a short mention about iPhones ... you are probably asking yourself "what has he done now"? What addition? What stable? WTH???With my history and this blog documenting my instances of trading cars, one RV within 7 months and never making my mind up on what to do when it came to traveling over a 4 year period of indecision ... I can understand your wonderment.

I'll warn those that like to read in addition to looking at the hound photos, there is going to be some rambling today. Some of it will not match the photos taken during our morning walk and besides I have to ramble a little to justify what took place mid afternoon yesterday. It wasn't an impulse decision. It was a decision that was based on my normal over analysis and it would not have been a correct decision without me changing my mind in the last 18 hours.

For those of you that can't make up your mind on which Apple phone to use ... hang on.

All of these images are untouched. Not one was edited in anyway. Some look great while others are questionable because I was checking out different amounts of zoom. So that gives you a hint ... a new camera or a new iPhone? No plans to buy either so what is going on here and why?

Well when you are single by choice and all of your hounds love you unconditionally, the question "why" never applies here and the question is either unanswered or never asked.

It was two weeks ago when I was visiting my long time friend from my college days back in the 70's that this ball of research started. I could blame him I guess for all of this but even though I am not a 'professional geek' I do like the latest technology and some things I can resist, other things I cannot.

I remember it was less than two months ago on a Sunday, when during my conversation with a shocking visit, my friend Paula handed me her new iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. I can't remember which it was nor does it matter because my instant answer to her was something like "it's a great phone, I've read all about it but .... I'm sticking with my 6s, that will be the last phone I ever buy". Where have I heard that before?

I recall saying the same thing years ago when I shut down my top of the line Sony Erickson flip phone with the color screen for one of Apples first smart phones ... I waited long enough then to buy the 3s. That was it ... the improvements over my flip phone were so drastic that I knew then I'd never have to buy another one EVER ... the 3s was it!!

Like all technology, changes are in nano seconds and they never stop. Somewhere in those spaceship buildings at Apple some engineers are holding something they are developing in their hands even today, laughing amongst themselves and saying "this will send the sheep over the edge ... they'll love this better than what they just bought minutes ago".

Besides the competition between the major phone service providers, they have also noted the speed of technology change, along with the consumer addiction to buy the best no matter how old it is. So it was not a surprise when the Verizon rep was offering me a program where I could trade in my 'new' smartphone in on an ANNUAL BASIS without penalty. Of course that decision still locks you into some kind of contract doesn't it ?  I can't remember what he answered.

So to get back on point here, two weeks ago standing in my friends driveway all afternoon talking while he is building a new rooftop rack so he can carry his two canoes on top of the car instead of towing them .... I have his new iPhone 8 Plus in my hands and instantly notice the improved quality of the screen compared to my retina display on my 6s. I took a selfie of myself (hate selfies) with his phone and then the same selfie with my 6s.

The difference in picture quality was so astounding, I thought to myself "well s**t, here I go again" ... I could hear that little voice on my shoulder saying "Hi my name is Steve and I am a technoholic". I knew at that time I was buying that 8 Plus but I needed two weeks to investigate reviews on CNET, or ask some friends that already had the phone, or look at the dynamic display on Apple's website. I would finally call a live voice at Verizon to find out what those emails I had ignored months earlier were all about and if it was true I could turn in my phone for a new one without penalty.

I didn't do the normal mental haggling like I always do before I trade a car, an FJ, a Mini Cooper, or buy a new computer (needed or not), get Stella, or decide not to travel full time. That included taking a day off and not reading anything about them or looking at phones or videos on what that monster could do.

I had a clear mind after that day off and KNEW I was going to buy that new iPhone X, what Apple calls a Ten. Larger screen, better camera of all Apple phone cameras, just millimeters wider than my 6s and the latest technology ... that would last me a lifetime wouldn't ?????? or maybe just 12 - 14 months before I trade it in for the best of the best.

32° and a windchill of 21°

So it sounded like the only decision I needed to make was to either buy it online and send them my 6s after they sent me their packaging to return the phone OR .. make that nice 25 mile trip over to Bloomington (one of my all-time favorite towns) to trade in the phone right there and walk out with a brand new X. Long time readers will know that nothing is that simple in my brain full of active cells and not all of them destroyed yet. Nothing is ....

So during the final sprint to the finish line I jumped on CNET again and read their reviews about both iPhones .. the 8 Plus and the X. While reading those updated two page reviews for the comparison and then a separate review per camera ... I ran into other links that had reviews of each camera by professional photographers. You can read that here. After looking at the photographer review and comparing photos of each camera ... I decided sometime Monday night that I was going to change my mind and buy the iPhone 8 Plus instead. This review helped in my decision.

That wasn't all though ... I printed this photo from their website and had it near my keyboard so I could look at it different times and sort through just what shape I wanted that screen to be. I was 99% certain by the time I went to bed on Monday night was wanting the 'wider' screen of the 8 Plus more than I wanted the 'longer' screen of the X.

I mean when you know that you are going to keep this phone for the rest of your life, just like you planned to with the 3s in June 2009 you have to consider 'aging', what's best for the eyes? I thought I was doing fine with the smaller font and an extremely retina sharp view on the 6s ... until I saw my friend's 8 Plus.

I don't have a lot of shirts if any at all with pockets anymore. Since retired I rarely wear sport shirts anymore and even when I did wear them at work I never had a smartphone tucked inside the shirt pocket. So the 'narrow' size of the 8 and 8s was not a factor. To see if holding a wider phone would bother me, I tested my hands and grip on my iPad Mini that is 1.76 inches taller and 2.23 inches wider. No problems.

But .... would the 3.07" wide 8 Plus fit in my cup older on the FJ console, where every phone I have ever owned is stored while I drive. Even the old Sony Erickson flip phone fit in the dashboard ashtray on my 1965 VW Bus.

So with a tape measure, then slipping the rubber insert out ... I had room to spare for the new 8 Plus, with a 2nd cup holder on the console just to the right of my seat for anything I would be drinking.

By Tuesday morning I was ready ... online or drive to Verizon? With a strong desire to have lunch at Mother Bear's Pizza I decided a nice drive to the Verizon store in Bloomington was the thing to do. With one slight variation .... I'd get the phone first and then stop to have pizza on the way home. It was well worth the trip for both things I bought.

The trip wasn't over yet thought. There were more surprises and one not so good. I couldn't do much with the new phone until I got home and plugged it into my computer to update to the iOS 11.2 system. It would also synchronize with my Notes, Contacts, and hopefully the few Apps that I use. The update ran smooth and very fast. Since it has a chip 2 numbers higher (A9 - A11) than my 6s, everything is processed at the speed of light.

Luckily I am not a big number of apps fan. With the recent changes to iOS, apps are handled differently than they were for years in iTunes. Since I had few of them, it was faster to just download those I remembered instead of reading different websites to learn how to deal with them and where they were.

I had not been home longer than a few hours while I made all the updates and changed security settings from the default settings when I realized this is a really great phone AND computer. Yes, computer.

With the bigger screen and one bump in adjusting the font just a hair bigger ... it was so much easier on my eyes when I did things on the 8 Plus. I don't find the larger size too hard to hold, and much easier to type when sending emails or texts. Of course with the new design with the case being surgical quality glass on the front and back, I didn't hesitate to by a new case for it. I've had the OtterBox before but I like the cases made by Speck.

They are built for impact with military grade material and pass the 10' drop test. At the same time with short bezel around the edge to protect the screen it still gives you that smaller feel of a phone without a case. It looks like I need to clear out my drawers with all my past Apple cases I have laying around for different models of phones and iPads. Let me know if you are looking for one in particular. I'll have mine listed soon online for sale somewhere, at rock bottom prices and free Priority Shipping.

I did mention something bad ... so what was it ????

Well it was somewhat disappointing but understandable. Stella's separation anxiety that she came with, will most likely never go away. After a streak of 363 days and nights straight of no damage of any kind while I am gone and she is left with Sadie in the bedroom ... I slowly opened the bedroom door to let them out when I got home and was shocked.

It looked like Day 1 in her file of damages. Yet ... she was thrilled I was home, giving me her bloodhound howls and a wagging tail that is strong enough to break wood. While they moved to the other rooms, drinking some water, I quietly cleaned up the mess and acted like nothing had happened.

I had been gone a little more than 3 hours where she was able to strip the bed of all the blankets and sheets, move that bed from under the east window to the window on the north side. Then open the third drawer (her eye level) of my chest of drawers and pull out every pair of cargo shorts, jean shorts, insulated long sleeve shorts, wool socks, gym shorts, ski underwear that I own ... just to show me she knew where I was keeping everything.

I could tell by the fresh new smudges on my clean windows were looking too familiar to the shape of her nose, that she had been poking at each window to see if they would open and she could escape like she did her first summer here. Luckily none of the windows were broken. After all if you can't get a good strong nose poke by standing on your back legs ... the only other option is to slide the bed over to that window so you can stand on the bed and have a much better angle to open the window.

Those rubber sliders under each corner wheel of the bed frame don't work really well even on hardwood floors when a bloodhound is determined to rearrange furniture while you're gone.

But as they say in the game of basketball "no harm no foul" ... so things are still good with her and I.

I think I have rambled about all I can today about the phone and the comparisons to my 6s. This post has gone on longer than I had planned. Some of my early readers are probably wondering if I am ever going to post anything today ... so I should probably start wrapping this up. As I use the phone more I will write a different post as my own review for those readers that are interest. In the meantime feel free to send me any questions you have.

I will say again ... I am not a huge fan of windchill factor at 21°

Until I learn more about this phone .. so far the Nikon is still better at zoom distances although this 8 Plus has a new 10x zoom capability.

I am going to shoot pictures the rest of the day with the iPhone. By the end of the day in different lighting I will have a better comparison and will post those photos either later tonight or add them to my post tomorrow.

I do know the camera in low light works fantastic.

The last of my three sycamore trees along the driveway bank. Even with five different trunks we still count this as one tree. Lucky the new neighbor told me he liked that tree because I was close to have it cut down. Two of those five trunks are on my property and three are on his. Or really they all are on the property of the old railroad that went through there in the 1940's but is labeled on the survey as "center of the right away".

Any buyer's remorse this morning or today?  No.

Although it's freezing cold and will be all day today for the next few days, with little wind it might be a good time while the hounds are taking their after lunch break, that I walk around and collect the small tree limbs scatter in the yard and add them to my burn pile.

Normally before I post I go into the HTML settings of the post and change each image size to s1600 to bring back the original sharpness of the photo to combat against Google's system of compressing everything to a smaller size, s600, after I add the photos to the blog. Today I'll leave them at Google's settings.

So all of these pictures are 'as is', taken at different zoom settings ranging from 1x - 10x.

You have to admit, buying phones are much cheaper than trading cars every year or few months and/or buying new computers or iPads. Yet it might not be cheaper than feeding two bloodhounds and a basset ... at least my spreadsheet says it isn't ... LOL

99% of the day will be spent indoors today here in 'the tropics' of freezing Southern Indiana.

Another Early Wakeup

I am not sure why but for some reason I was up and at 'em before 5am. If I had gone to bed early I could understand it but not when I go after midnight. The hounds did their usual routine and waited for daylight before wanting their breakfast. I finished typing or transposing my handwritten journal last night to a digital copy, so this morning I scanned some cards people sent me after the tour and a a newspaper article about the guy I rode with for a while. I'll upload those into my document.

We took off for our walk this morning just barely after daybreak. All of these photos are much brighter than what I saw with my eyes. Not only was it overcast as some pictures show but it was dark. That didn't bother either hound of course as they were happy to start another day in their own way.

Stella had to be 'nudged' a few times with me saying "come on" but overall she stayed out front with Sadie. I'll let the pictures show their walk today, nothing out of ordinary occurred.

My electronic document ended up being 73 pages of typed information. As I read while typing I was surprised just how much of that trip I had forgotten. I rode a total of 3,870 miles in 44 days of actual riding the bike. I did ride through the desert in the month of May but found it much harder riding up the west coast to Seattle along the coast Highway 1. Every day me and the other riders I rode with, faced a strong headwind for the NW.

I was wearing bike shorts, a t-shirt under a wool sweater, under a down jacket just south of Daley City California ... in the month of July. While remembering the times I was drenching myself with water every 30 minutes riding across the desert from Phoenix to Oceanside California. Such a contrast.

The reasons for the pain I feel in my left knee today at times, whether from riding now slower or just getting up out of a chair, was explained in the journal. I forgot about all the times I was complaining  of knee pain along the colder west coast highway along California and up in the cool and damp weather in Oregon. It was funny to see some of the prices I listed for the cost of food bought or a breakfast in a restaurant.

I forgot that logging trucks hate bicyclist even more than they do RVs and camping trailers. It was funny to read about a forgotten incident where a Washington State Patrol pulled us over and lectured us about the dangers of riding on a road with logging truck traffic after we had just spent a week in Oregon riding with them every day. He talked to me like I was on my first bike ride with training wheels while I had already completed 3,600 miles across the USA.

I ended by saying it was time to start planning for my next tour. It seemed like it was a given and I had to only finish college that semester and get on with it. Yet, life changes drastically at times. I never took any kind of bike tour after that. It was my only one.

I did do some bicycle racing after that for a few years in California but I never packed the bags, sleeping bag and tent and took off up the coast even while I lived on the coast highway in Carlsbad California. I still rode my bike pretty consistently for the next 15 years after that tour, but never took another trip.

Like most people in life, we all experience close calls, where in an instant we would no longer be here. I had two of those close calls on the trip. The first was outside Show Low, Arizona just a little past sunset and oncoming traffic. The second time was in the early morning in Oregon with heavy fog and mist, flying down a hill that went for 5 miles and yellow warning signs for trucks about the decent angle.

Years later a friend of mine in Oak Harbor, Washington wasn't so lucky. While making his final cross country bicycle tour which was the outline of the USA, he was killed in Nevada on his way back home.

As I read the journal, I had doubts I could do that today. Even if I were in my 20's again. What I might do after the hounds pass, is to drive those same roads I rode on and try to duplicate my trip. It's just to hard to travel with two bloodhounds instead of one. I found in June 2015 that basset hounds are much easier to travel with cross country.

A few years ago I met a cyclist on one of the most dangerous highway between my home and Bloomington Indiana. I stopped him on my way home to invite him a place to sleep and eat. I had to let him know that no matter what your smart phone is telling you, there isn't any motels in the town I live in and that restaurant he was planning to eat at would be closed by the the time he rode 13 miles up and down steep hills. Unlike me in 1976, he was carrying his camping gear in a two-wheel buggy being towed behind his bicycle. He started in New Jersey and made it to California a few months later.

Granted, most of the times I see cyclist on the highway I have to admit they are riding too far out in our lane of traffic. Sometimes that is unavoidable because there is either no shoulder to ride on or the shoulder is in such poor shape it would damage wheels or flatting bicycle tires. Yet there are those riders that feel it's their right to ride 3' in our lane ... but they are wrong ... and that is dangerous.

I had the bike of the ages then, it had a chrome moly frame. Very light and was claimed to be the same material that airplanes were been made of. But as with any expensive light bike equipment, it's the little things that make the long tour more comfortable, than just a light bike. Things like sunblock, water, calamine lotions for poison oak or ivy, would be nice for starters.

Plus also know that while you are in a campground taking a shower it's never good to leave your food supply on the picnic table, inviting all the raccoons to enjoy your trail mix, peaches and even attempt to try your mixture of peanut butter and honey in a plastic squeeze tube while you are enjoying a 4 minute shower for 10 cents.

I have thought about uploading the journal into the blog as a page at the top or a link on the side. It's rated PG from what I can see. I still have some photographs to scan but most of my photos were taken with slide film and a small 8mm camera.  LOL

I'll post this now but this is later and I have been out and have lost all train of thought on blogging.

It's getting freezing cold right now in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Stella's Back Under Control Today

The day started off too strange for all of us, getting up and starting our day in the dark. While I made coffee and did system downloads and app updates during my 'free' data (50Gb/mo) period, the hounds continued to sleep. Sadie was curious only for a few minutes before she turned and went back to bed. I could hear Stella snoring in the next room. Monday's always remind me how much I love retirement.

I'm not sure what is on the agenda for the day, with rain forecasted late this afternoon and early evening. I have plenty of typing to do though. I finally pulled out my handwritten journal from the box in the closet that I want to turn into a electronic document. I kept this journal on my 1976 cross-country bike trip. I thought I had typed a lot yesterday. By the time I quite I was as far as Phoenix Arizona on my trip but it looked like like I had only 1/3 of it finished.

Just in the pages I typed, I found a few things I had forgotten about. I can't say it was written as well as some of my blog posts are but it's interesting enough that I didn't want to stop reading it. After a little research I decided to write the journal in Apple's Pages. That's Word Documents to all of you Microsoft users. I do have some photos that I can scan but at the same time I have some slides from a camera that was taking 8mm film, if that is possible to even remember. I'll talk more about that trip later or may make a separate post about the trip with photos, after I am finished transposing everything.

As you can tell by this mornings photos, Stella was urged to follow me and Sadie. That is the normal protocol after she does one of her disappearing acts. She didn't mind too much and would usually start trotting toward Sadie by the time I reached her.

During our afternoon walk yesterday, I heard the loud engines of ATVs. I was able to see them when I glanced into the woods but by the time we reached the first corner of our walk, they were speeding along the path they've made over the past few months at the back of the field. Stella was on the 25' retractable leash, otherwise she would have sprinted after them based on her reactions. Sadie started to chase them but turned around when I yelled her name.

Consequently there were a lot of things both hounds needed to inspect up in the far right corner of the field. That is the entry point for the ATVs going from the field to the deep gully. Why do I have a feeling that next spring/summer will bring more ATV traffic? I also don't think they will bale it anymore based on the farmer's were doing the owner a favor by baling and taking the hay ... based on what their son told me.

I guess it could be worse. When my neighbor bought the land through an estate sale a few years ago, he mentioned to me he was thinking of plowing it up and planting corn. If that were to have happened I would be long gone by now, I would have sold the house and left. So, I guess I can live with some ATV traffic as long as they stay in the other side of the field.

I had to call both Sadie and Stella to stop this morning. They were trotting with their heads down and heading right below the high power tower, leading them to the woods to the north. It was the fresh new ATV tracks that were getting them motivated. Luckily both of them stopped and waited for me to catch up with them, when I called their names.

I'll not say at what time I decided to get out of bed, but I will say there is no doubt that a siesta will take place later this afternoon. I received my first of two refund payments on Saturday for the Z4 parts/hardware I returned last week. I wonder how they liked the itemized spreadsheet I sent with box full of parts/hardware?  LOL

The hounds were pretty laid back the closer we got to the yard this morning. Within minutes after walking inside they both had joined Heidi in a morning nap. Stella sleeps as close to my desk chair as possible. Heidi is still on her sleeping bag and Sadie moves the large chair/ottoman in the living room. They will usually stay that way until they decide to tell me to feed them lunch.

It wasn't long before I had Sadie standing in the doorway giving me her stare and Stella at my elbow, nudging it with her nose. That's when I knew it must be time for lunch. The normal routine is with Heidi not moving a muscle off the couch until she hears Stella howling to be fed, then she will chime in with basset hound barking. After that, there is no way I can not feed them their lunch.

I couldn't believe it could be that late already.

I had been typing from my journal since we came back from the walk. I had lost myself reading it while I typed. Before they came to get me to feed them, I had ridden from Phoenix Arizona and was now riding up the coast highway just north of Santa Barbara.

Stella wasn't sure if it was a good time for a walk or not. She rarely, if ever goes on the 2nd walk of the day within minutes of finishing her meal. It's one of the ways to prevent bloat. I've never had a bloodhound bloat before and I no longer follow Bloodhound groups, so I don't know how common it is anymore but I'm taking no chances.

Heidi came outside long enough to sniff the air and feel that the temps moving across her nose was not warm enough to spend any more time it would taken than to use the bathroom. She was sprinting for the couch by the time Sadie, Stella and I were at the door.

Hard to believe that yard is that green for the 4th day of December.

After the mandatory wait period for them before we started our walk, both of them took off running toward the edge of the field. I didn't hear any ATVs and shouldn't have since the kids are in school today. I saw no deer on the horizon but the wind from the south had picked up and it's possible that had something to do with them taking off.

(Yes, I know I changed in the middle of the post and started typing content that goes with the photos UNDER them instead of BEFORE them.)

I normally have Stella on the leash for the afternoon walk but I didn't have enough photos after our walk this morning so the camera took the leash's place. That did not mean I was going to let her hang back and give her a chance to wander off again. It took a lot of "come on" to get her to move but she gradually followed Sadie and I.

Sadie is just Sadie and when she is outside anywhere it's time to track scent. Here you can barely see her on the full inhale as her jowls have filled with air as she sniffs the ground.

I could see how the rain could blow in later this afternoon based on how strong the winds were from the south. There was a lot of cloud movement that my camera didn't catch but it should be a nice rain later today and then freezing temps in the 30's by Thursday.

It surprised me to see Stella trotting to catch Sadie and I. She will follow this same path for any walk she does after the morning walk. Again, it took some verbal commands as "come on" to get her back home, probably more of them than I wanted to say. Yes, she always wins and gets her way.

Just because the wind has picked up speed, the temps are a little warmer than this morning and I am already standing at the corner of the house does not mean it's time to finish this 2nd walk of the day. There are scents to check out all the way up to the yard and beyond if I have the time to wait on them.

This is the look she has when she is tired and is ready for her afternoon siesta.

Once she feels that way and decides she wants to sleep, THEN she can't get back into the house fast enough.

I'll go back to typing the journal and forget I'm not back riding my bike up the west coast on Hwy 1 heading toward Seattle. I am still amazed as I type from that journal just how much stuff I forgot about the trip.

I'm sure you know that Christmas is only 3 weeks from today? That is hard to believe, just how fast time is flying right now.

Another sunny day in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana.

Heidi Says Not Warm Enough

She checked the air with her nose to get an accurate temperature and then decided about all she had time for was bathroom break after her lunch, then back to the couch.