I will add more to this blog post as I get more photos onto my PC but this thread will have photos from my trip to Russia. Left my Canon 7D at home this trip and took my G15. Haven't had the camera for long but the shots that it produces are outstanding. Haven't put any of these in post processing but they came out nice.
My walk to the office along the Sochi "Board Walk." The Black Sea is beautiful.
While done the shore this past weekend I decided to take my Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 out for a quick trip in the back bays of Ocean City, NJ.
Saturday:
Launched from the dock around 7am and paddled out around the point and down the lagoon on the other side of the street. The wind was blowing pretty good (10-15 mph) and it was overcast but the temp wasn't too cold. When I got into the open water and wasn't shielded by the houses the wind made it difficult to maneuver and stay dry.
The Pungo seemed to work great in the bay and cut through the small waves easily. Overall a nice early morning paddle. Total distance 1.5 miles.
Sheltered from the wind
Sunday:
The wind was blowing 15-20 early in the morning so I said the heck with paddling today. When out and got a couple of things done around the house and when I got back the tides were going out and the winds died down. I launch the yak and did a very quick paddle down some of the back channels in the bay. Total Distance 2 miles.
While out in the kayak I stopped by one of the tiny islands in the bay for some photos of some of the ducks. That didnt work out so well since they saw me coming. By the time I got my SLR out they were swimming the other way.
Today's weather was much colder but the sun was out bright and made for a nice ride.
Water was pretty warm for April and super clear. Great view.
I wanted to share with you an awesome product that we recently purchased for our house.
This TV mount is called the Down and Out Swivel Mount from the company Dynamic Mounting LLC based in North Carolina (Made in the USA!) We purchased this wall mount to hang a TV above our fireplace. We wanted to get a mount that could bring the TV down from the awkward high wall mounted position to eye level. We also wanted something that would allow the TV to pan from left to right so that all areas of the room can view the TV. Before purchasing this mount, we purchased and tried several other mounts that just did not work out like they described. They were cheap, poorly made, and did not bring the TV down far enough for use to view the TV the way that we wanted.
We then came across the Down and Out Swivel Mount. After doing searches on Google and watching their product videos we were very impressed. We placed the order on Dynamic Mounting’s website on March 17th (Sunday) and the mount was in the hands of FedEx on Monday morning. After shipping it took only three days to get to our house. Can’t ask for better service then that!
Overall, we are thrilled with the Down and Out Swivel Mount. It was very easy to install and came packages very nicely. It looks great on the wall and the up and down motion with swiveling works perfect. It holds our 55” Samsung TV to the wall very securely and makes the room look awesome. People are impressed when we pull the TV down to eye level for them to watch TV.
I highly recommend this mounting system and hope that this quick overview of the product helps someone looking for a wall mount like this. Would look sweet in a man cave!
I made a quick video about our mount below.
Find out more information on their website: [url=http://www.dynamicmounting.com]www.dynamicmounting.com[/url]
I went down to our shore house in Ocean City, NJ for the holiday weekend and finally caught the family of Otters out and about.
I was out on the deck around 6:45am this morning to take some shots of the frozen lagoon at low tide and I turn and see these River Otters breaking the ice and going for a swim.
Before I know it they hoped out of the water, onto the neighbors dock, ran up the ramp and were in a sprint heading right at me along the bulkhead.
Shot it at f/4. Wasn't quite ready for the running of the otters. Would have like to had a chance to have more depth in the pic but I'll take what I can get right now.
Purchased From: Cabelas.com Date Purchased: 12/15/2012 List Price: $174.99 Pros: - Attractive looking hiking boot and even casual everyday driver - Good overall construction - Goretex really works - Great tight lacing design - Strong and powerful sole with great traction - Average warmth - Fit true to size (I wear size 12 and I ordered size 12. Perfect fit) - Weight - Only 3.3 lbs for the pair Cons: - Stiff with a long break-in period (still not 100% broken in) - Terrible laces - they were broken within 3 months of purchase b/c of sharp eyelets - Made in China
Overall:
I bought these Danner GTX Hikers to replace a pair of Rocky Hikers that I had for about 5 years. While I haven't taken these boots on many long and tough hikes, I feel that I have worn them enough to have a good idea if I like them or not. These boots are made of a tough nubuck leather and green canvas that is paired up with a Goretex liner for waterproofing. The sole is very strong and grips wet and dry ground well. With the sole being so tough I was worried about the boots being too heavy however I was pleasantly surprised with the actual weight of the boot. Danner's GTX Hikers have a very comfortable insole that has held up well with no signs of wear so far. The internal shank that is placed under the center of the insole protects your arch and foot from overwork and pain while wearing these boots for long periods of time. The leather has held up great so far with only one small stain from tree sap. These boots have been covered with mud and dirt and still look like new after a good cleaning. As with any product on the market there are a couple of negatives marks when buying these boots. I don't feel that these negatives are bad enough that should keep you from purchasing the Danner GTX Hikers. The first negative mark is the break-in period. The boots arrive stiff and the break-in period is very lengthy. When I first put the boots on they actually hurt my feet after the first two hours of wearing them. After a good 3 months of wearing them I can finally say they are ALMOST broken in fully. Secondly, the laces are just plain terrible. Just plan on ordering new laces at the same time that you purchase these boots. The sharp eyelets rub the laces down to the point that they break or split open. The only positive thing I can say about the laces is that they are pretty attractive and go great with the color of the boot. Lastly, these boots are imported and made in China. Ugh. Danner is a great company that is known for their products being made in the USA. However, these are made in China. Probably why they are more affordable then other pairs of Danner boots. At least the quality control is very good at their Chinese factory and does not make these boots cheap and unreliable. Overall, I really enjoy these boots. I would recommend them to anyone that is looking for a good all round pair of hikers that won't break the bank. Disclaimer: Please mind any spelling errors. This review as posted via Galaxy Note II smartphone.
Photos:
Washed and scrubbed these to make them shine. They clean up very well.
