I did not realize that so long has passed since my last update. Well, here is all the new stuff.
Temperatures are cooling down. We had two nor'westers (periods of winds from the north west that are a result of winter storms in the US) in the last month with did a lot to reduce the humidity and bring nice temperatures back again.
There is still rain but it is now isolated showers. About a week ago, I had to ride through two of them on my bike commute to work.
Chickens are OK. There is a bit of competition between two of the large roosters hence a chicken dinner will be coming up this week. The "Group of twelve" to steal a Canadian artist reference, at 9 weeks old are the size of 16 week adult chickens. And are quite heavy. Our best guess is that we have about 5 males and 7 females, but time will tell.
We are starting to move into the new house this weekend. The past month has had us going over every night, tacking some little job or the other. The longest running project has been the master bathroom and the tiling. There has been enough do and redo in order to get things looking just right and it looks like we have finally succeeded. It is really amazing how many little things that have to be done. You think you are finished a room then you remember that you forgot some item which leads to remembering another and so on. I am taking the upcoming week off work so I should be able to get the list down to a couple small items if not finish it off.
The garage has also been worked on. We did an epoxy coating on the floor and it is holding out quite well as machines are dragged over it. I have been constructing drawer cabinets to ultimately store tools and other items. I am hoping that I can get the lathe and milling machine into it before the Christmas season. That would allow me to play during the upcoming holidays.
Well, enough of a break. back to work!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
No hurricanes as yet but.......
As I sit here this morning, it is pouring rain and howling winds outside. Rain rate gets as high as 4" per hour then drops off. We are getting the effects of an offshoot from former hurricane Ida (now tropical storm). The storm is currently 230 miles SW of Grand Cayman but it has spawned two offshoots. One about 3/4 of the size of the tropical storm (probably will become another storm itself) that is threatening Cayman and a third area about 1/4 the size that sits to the south and in between the two. Our area of concern has just started to interact with us and is heading northeast. The intense rain area for this offshoot is about 1/4 the size of the main part of Ida and 100 miles south of us but can easily grow in size. We will be keeping an eye on it for sure. Since we have not had any hurricanes pass through this year, sea temperatures are very warm (hurricanes use the ocean heat to for their power) and is just waiting to be used!
We have another 4 day weekend. This is a special one. Monday is the usual public holiday for Remembrance Day but there is a new constitution being introduced as well as the first premier.As a result, we have had Friday as a special public holiday. Who am I to complain!
We did a nice chicken test yesterday. I open the door to the coop and let everyone out to roam around. And they did, eating the grass and weeds, scratching for bugs and other niceties that chickens love and even going for a stroll. When it was getting dark, everyone came home to roost, including two that joined from places unknown. Egg production is still at 2-3 per day but it falls off at times. We have a new layer and it's first egg was about 3/4" dia. Hopefully, they will get larger. It reminded me of the quail eggs that one gets in Brazil at the hotels for breakfast! Did a quick count of roosters in the coop and it seems they have about 1/3 or the population. Guess I'll be eating some in the next couple months!
The new Rhode Island Reds at 5 weeks are the size of our normal chickens at 2 months. All 12 are still alive and doing well.
I was planning to go out and do some normal and infrared photography but the weather dictates otherwise - maybe tomorrow or Monday wil be better. I think I'll build the light tent that I have had plans to for the past 4 month sor so.
We have another 4 day weekend. This is a special one. Monday is the usual public holiday for Remembrance Day but there is a new constitution being introduced as well as the first premier.As a result, we have had Friday as a special public holiday. Who am I to complain!
We did a nice chicken test yesterday. I open the door to the coop and let everyone out to roam around. And they did, eating the grass and weeds, scratching for bugs and other niceties that chickens love and even going for a stroll. When it was getting dark, everyone came home to roost, including two that joined from places unknown. Egg production is still at 2-3 per day but it falls off at times. We have a new layer and it's first egg was about 3/4" dia. Hopefully, they will get larger. It reminded me of the quail eggs that one gets in Brazil at the hotels for breakfast! Did a quick count of roosters in the coop and it seems they have about 1/3 or the population. Guess I'll be eating some in the next couple months!
The new Rhode Island Reds at 5 weeks are the size of our normal chickens at 2 months. All 12 are still alive and doing well.
I was planning to go out and do some normal and infrared photography but the weather dictates otherwise - maybe tomorrow or Monday wil be better. I think I'll build the light tent that I have had plans to for the past 4 month sor so.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Time goes by fast
It has been over a month since my last post so I need to do some updating.
The last two weeks of Sept were pretty uneventful. Rained the odd day but life continued with its daily cycle.
We took a two week leave of the island and had a wonderful break and upon returning, quickly got back into the old grind.
We finally have electrical hookup to the new house and the final touch-ups and finishing can begin in earnest. No more electrical umbilical cord from one house to the other. No more quitting as it got dark (around 5:45pm now). No more extension cords to run, change the different plugs when you used something on a different floor and other concerns. Electrical hookup was completed on last Wed and this morning, I started to rewire switches to a more logical (to me) order. What this means is where you have a ceiling fan with the light underneath and it is controlled by a two level switch, you put the fan to the top switch and the light to the bottom. Makes sense to me but obviously not to everyone. It also means that I can now hookup outlets for the table saw and welder. The initial plan did not allow these as they were considered commercial connections. Guess they haven't seen my garage!
We also have to run three high amp circuits to handle some tools - welder, table saw and other 240V power hogs. The fun is about to begin.
In the camera scene, I have been experimenting with infrared photography. This is a little area of the spectrum that is not too often explored by photographers. It is mainly monotone but has an interesting effect. Vegetation becomes while like snow, animals become black and other effects are seen.
In the image below, the white leaves are easily visible. The sky is black (no clouds). The iguana on the wall is a dark gray and the leafless tree in the front is dark. This was taken in full sunlight, hence full infrared.
In the image below, the sun was behind the clouds and things become a bit redder. There are clouds in the sky and the iguana is visible in the middle of the leaves. The tones can be adjusted to mirror that image above but I wanted to show the difference. Most photographers avoid imaging at midday due to the harsh light, but for IR, this is the best time. Please click on any image for a larger view.
The last two weeks of Sept were pretty uneventful. Rained the odd day but life continued with its daily cycle.
We took a two week leave of the island and had a wonderful break and upon returning, quickly got back into the old grind.
We finally have electrical hookup to the new house and the final touch-ups and finishing can begin in earnest. No more electrical umbilical cord from one house to the other. No more quitting as it got dark (around 5:45pm now). No more extension cords to run, change the different plugs when you used something on a different floor and other concerns. Electrical hookup was completed on last Wed and this morning, I started to rewire switches to a more logical (to me) order. What this means is where you have a ceiling fan with the light underneath and it is controlled by a two level switch, you put the fan to the top switch and the light to the bottom. Makes sense to me but obviously not to everyone. It also means that I can now hookup outlets for the table saw and welder. The initial plan did not allow these as they were considered commercial connections. Guess they haven't seen my garage!
We also have to run three high amp circuits to handle some tools - welder, table saw and other 240V power hogs. The fun is about to begin.
In the camera scene, I have been experimenting with infrared photography. This is a little area of the spectrum that is not too often explored by photographers. It is mainly monotone but has an interesting effect. Vegetation becomes while like snow, animals become black and other effects are seen.
In the image below, the white leaves are easily visible. The sky is black (no clouds). The iguana on the wall is a dark gray and the leafless tree in the front is dark. This was taken in full sunlight, hence full infrared.
In the image below, the sun was behind the clouds and things become a bit redder. There are clouds in the sky and the iguana is visible in the middle of the leaves. The tones can be adjusted to mirror that image above but I wanted to show the difference. Most photographers avoid imaging at midday due to the harsh light, but for IR, this is the best time. Please click on any image for a larger view.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
It's raining - kinda
Well, the summer is about to end as the rains are here again - I think!
Here's the problem. Cayman does get rain - and sometimes lots of it. The problem is that it either comes as a wave that covers the whole island or as bands, that dump rain on a 1-2 mile wide strip and leave either side dry.
So far, the past couple weeks have seen only bands.Last week I measured some of the rain and we had 16" and this week, my total is almost 6". Early this morning, it started to thunder at around 4am and I got up to take a look. Some lightning and cloudy skies but nothing serious.
Right now, it is thundering quite a bit to the south and I went outside to take another look.The clouds are about 2 miles south and about 1 mile wide with rain. A thought came to me. A few weeks ago, the weather bureau was saying that we only had about 7+" of rain all year. What do they say now? A quick check on the internet brings the total up to 16.74" with only 0.37" today (so far).In the past two weeks, west bay has had 22" and counting.
I have decided to make a more accurate rain gauge and record that amount of rain over 2010. I would then compare my results to the weather bureau at 3 month intervals - although I can also do Sept-Dec as a check.
The picture below is a composite of this mornings storm cloud. Please click on it to see a larger picture. A lot of it is hidden due to the picture size.
Here's the problem. Cayman does get rain - and sometimes lots of it. The problem is that it either comes as a wave that covers the whole island or as bands, that dump rain on a 1-2 mile wide strip and leave either side dry.
So far, the past couple weeks have seen only bands.Last week I measured some of the rain and we had 16" and this week, my total is almost 6". Early this morning, it started to thunder at around 4am and I got up to take a look. Some lightning and cloudy skies but nothing serious.
Right now, it is thundering quite a bit to the south and I went outside to take another look.The clouds are about 2 miles south and about 1 mile wide with rain. A thought came to me. A few weeks ago, the weather bureau was saying that we only had about 7+" of rain all year. What do they say now? A quick check on the internet brings the total up to 16.74" with only 0.37" today (so far).In the past two weeks, west bay has had 22" and counting.
I have decided to make a more accurate rain gauge and record that amount of rain over 2010. I would then compare my results to the weather bureau at 3 month intervals - although I can also do Sept-Dec as a check.
The picture below is a composite of this mornings storm cloud. Please click on it to see a larger picture. A lot of it is hidden due to the picture size.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Rainfall test
I have been home for this week, trying to use up my vacation before the end of the year.
In the afternoons around 1-2pm, we have been getting rain showers. These are local thundershowers that are approx 1-2 miles wide (in a N/S direction) and 5-10 miles long (E/W). This orientation is caused by the prevailing winds from the east and the thermal effects of the island. I have a weather station and on Tuesday afternoon, it registers 3" of rain in 3 hours. Now we do get heavy showers but this sounded as quite a bit. Thinking something was wrong, it registered another 6" on Wed. Wow! What is going on here?
I decided to make a simple rain gauge from some clear plastic tubing, and a funnel and placed it outside as a temporary measurement device to compare against the weather station. I calculated the amplification factor (diameter of the big funnel entrance divided by the diameter of inside of the tube) and waited for the next rain.
On Thursday, we once again had two heavy showers and I recorded 4.7" of rain in a little over 2 hours. The temporary device also confirmed that amount. While this is no world record,it does let me know that the grass will need to be cut every week for the next little while! :-)
On the chicken front, egg production has increased to between 2-3 eggs per day. It seems that the more nesting cubicles we build, the more they lay. It probably does not hurt that I have fed them a bit of Layena to see if that will assist a bit - but only one cup full. I do not believe in turning the chicken into laying machines and disregarding their health.
In the photography arena, I am getting ready for a upcoming trip. I have managed to obtain from the US of A a Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 lens (that the cost of the lens plus shipping was more than buying it here). This is a replacement for the one destroyed in the lathe. It will make a great low light lens for portraits and city scape night scenes and should also come in handy for astrophotography of the night sky. I also have plans for a simple astronomy camera orientation device called a barn door mount. It allows one to manually track the motion of the stars while taking pictures. Yes I can throw everything on one of the telescope mounts and have it the stars accurately tracked for me but there in not much challenge in that! Besides, there are a couple other nuts... I mean persons who are interested in night sky photography and it will make a nice group and learning project.
Looking forward, I have purchased Photoshop CS4. This is for processing all my photographs. It has a large learning curve but with the long winter nights coming up, it should keep me busy!
In the afternoons around 1-2pm, we have been getting rain showers. These are local thundershowers that are approx 1-2 miles wide (in a N/S direction) and 5-10 miles long (E/W). This orientation is caused by the prevailing winds from the east and the thermal effects of the island. I have a weather station and on Tuesday afternoon, it registers 3" of rain in 3 hours. Now we do get heavy showers but this sounded as quite a bit. Thinking something was wrong, it registered another 6" on Wed. Wow! What is going on here?
I decided to make a simple rain gauge from some clear plastic tubing, and a funnel and placed it outside as a temporary measurement device to compare against the weather station. I calculated the amplification factor (diameter of the big funnel entrance divided by the diameter of inside of the tube) and waited for the next rain.
On Thursday, we once again had two heavy showers and I recorded 4.7" of rain in a little over 2 hours. The temporary device also confirmed that amount. While this is no world record,it does let me know that the grass will need to be cut every week for the next little while! :-)
On the chicken front, egg production has increased to between 2-3 eggs per day. It seems that the more nesting cubicles we build, the more they lay. It probably does not hurt that I have fed them a bit of Layena to see if that will assist a bit - but only one cup full. I do not believe in turning the chicken into laying machines and disregarding their health.
In the photography arena, I am getting ready for a upcoming trip. I have managed to obtain from the US of A a Canon EF 50mm F/1.8 lens (that the cost of the lens plus shipping was more than buying it here). This is a replacement for the one destroyed in the lathe. It will make a great low light lens for portraits and city scape night scenes and should also come in handy for astrophotography of the night sky. I also have plans for a simple astronomy camera orientation device called a barn door mount. It allows one to manually track the motion of the stars while taking pictures. Yes I can throw everything on one of the telescope mounts and have it the stars accurately tracked for me but there in not much challenge in that! Besides, there are a couple other nuts... I mean persons who are interested in night sky photography and it will make a nice group and learning project.
Looking forward, I have purchased Photoshop CS4. This is for processing all my photographs. It has a large learning curve but with the long winter nights coming up, it should keep me busy!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
What's up!
I was viewing the blog today and realized that 3 weeks had past since I had posted anything! While not much has changed, there has been progress.
Chickens - we have built a chicken coop and continue to catch more and more. I currently have 23 pullets and chicks (about 1 month old or less) and 11 hens and two roosters. The 12 Rhode Islands Red layers ordered have not appeared as yet.
Mangoes are all but finished and we are now busy with guavas. So far, there are 15 pints of guava jam and about a square foot x1" thick piece of guava paste, 5 pints and 4 quarts of mango. Enough to give away and still have enough jam for ourselves. We are getting a juicer and will start juicing the fruit (as the guava crop is about 1/3 way through) - something I have never done before but why not try it! If anyone wants guavas, drop by and get some.
It is still hot and there is a threat of rain but it is only local showers spread over various parts of the island.
The news reported that this is the driest year on record. Only 7+ inches of rain all year compare to the average of 24+ . On the other had, the mosquito population is way down.
I have been playing with the cameras and lenses. So far, 3 have been converted and are working well (and the fourth, a 50mm 1.8 got damaged in the lathe). My only problem now is my eyesight. I cannot seem to get the pictures into perfect focus. Lots of close enough but when you increase the picture size to18x24, it really shows up. The auto-focus confirmation beeps but I think it might need a bit of tweaking. I am trying to learn more about how Canon measures exact focus to see if I can come up with a solution.
A couple of pictures are attached for your review. They have been greatly reduced in size. The middle one is of lightning and was taken after the storm had passed us. No lightning bolts but I did get the glow in the clouds.
Chickens - we have built a chicken coop and continue to catch more and more. I currently have 23 pullets and chicks (about 1 month old or less) and 11 hens and two roosters. The 12 Rhode Islands Red layers ordered have not appeared as yet.
Mangoes are all but finished and we are now busy with guavas. So far, there are 15 pints of guava jam and about a square foot x1" thick piece of guava paste, 5 pints and 4 quarts of mango. Enough to give away and still have enough jam for ourselves. We are getting a juicer and will start juicing the fruit (as the guava crop is about 1/3 way through) - something I have never done before but why not try it! If anyone wants guavas, drop by and get some.
It is still hot and there is a threat of rain but it is only local showers spread over various parts of the island.
The news reported that this is the driest year on record. Only 7+ inches of rain all year compare to the average of 24+ . On the other had, the mosquito population is way down.
I have been playing with the cameras and lenses. So far, 3 have been converted and are working well (and the fourth, a 50mm 1.8 got damaged in the lathe). My only problem now is my eyesight. I cannot seem to get the pictures into perfect focus. Lots of close enough but when you increase the picture size to18x24, it really shows up. The auto-focus confirmation beeps but I think it might need a bit of tweaking. I am trying to learn more about how Canon measures exact focus to see if I can come up with a solution.
A couple of pictures are attached for your review. They have been greatly reduced in size. The middle one is of lightning and was taken after the storm had passed us. No lightning bolts but I did get the glow in the clouds.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Feeling hot! Hot! Hot!......
and does it ever wear you out!
It is our summer time in Cayman and all I can say is either I'm getting older or the temperatures are getting hotter. Last week, the outside temp at 1pm was 97F and the humidity made it feel like 110! To drive anywhere you needed air conditioning. Riding my bike into work in the mornings was not too bad as I took it easy and still had the morning coolness. But coming home in the evenings at around 5pm, after riding about 4 miles, I would get a bitter taste in my mount which means that I need water. Knowing the end was not to far away, I would just finish the ride. When I get home, it's hit the cooler and drink myself full. But I guess it is better than having to shovel snow from the driveway for 4 months of the year.
The good news is that once the September rains come, things will quickly cool down.
On the economic front, lots of rumors and but real action as yet. A new budget is supposed to be presented in late Sept and there have been calls for ideas on saving money as well as making money. In my department, many proposals have been made and time will tell which ones are undertaken and what is discarded.
Our chicken population keeps increasing (because of trapping) and I am currently build a larger coop and pen. I have also ordered 12 Rhode Island Red chicks to add to my brood. I was discussing my chicken situation with a gentleman from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and he says that with the number of chickens I have, I should be getting about 6 eggs a day! The Reds are layers instead of broilers.
The hen with the 11 eggs, only 6 hatched and we are keeping a close eye on them for protection as well as feeding them regularly.
Mangoes are finished but guavas are coming in with a vengeance. Time to make juice, jam (really nice) and ice cream as well as eating them just like that!
When talking with Agriculture, an interesting bit of information was gleaned by me. The DOA is pushing for people to start small vegetable gardens to not only feed themselves, but to also provide a source of food should disruptions happen to the supplies from the US. They provide all the information, and will have an agronomist come and visit your garden to give advice on whatever problems you have. One of the garden centers even sells everything you need to build the garden! The problem is that only the older people are interested. the young ones either don't want to get their hands dirty or don't care.
It was determined that a small 4'x16' boxed garden could provide two people with most of the vegetables they would need year round (we have no winter to stop us planting) - assuming crop rotation and staggered planting as well as choosing high yield, low space needs like carrots, beets, onion, etc. That's the footprint of a car!
Anyways, I'm off work today so time to get outside a finish one chore or the other!
It is our summer time in Cayman and all I can say is either I'm getting older or the temperatures are getting hotter. Last week, the outside temp at 1pm was 97F and the humidity made it feel like 110! To drive anywhere you needed air conditioning. Riding my bike into work in the mornings was not too bad as I took it easy and still had the morning coolness. But coming home in the evenings at around 5pm, after riding about 4 miles, I would get a bitter taste in my mount which means that I need water. Knowing the end was not to far away, I would just finish the ride. When I get home, it's hit the cooler and drink myself full. But I guess it is better than having to shovel snow from the driveway for 4 months of the year.
The good news is that once the September rains come, things will quickly cool down.
On the economic front, lots of rumors and but real action as yet. A new budget is supposed to be presented in late Sept and there have been calls for ideas on saving money as well as making money. In my department, many proposals have been made and time will tell which ones are undertaken and what is discarded.
Our chicken population keeps increasing (because of trapping) and I am currently build a larger coop and pen. I have also ordered 12 Rhode Island Red chicks to add to my brood. I was discussing my chicken situation with a gentleman from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and he says that with the number of chickens I have, I should be getting about 6 eggs a day! The Reds are layers instead of broilers.
The hen with the 11 eggs, only 6 hatched and we are keeping a close eye on them for protection as well as feeding them regularly.
Mangoes are finished but guavas are coming in with a vengeance. Time to make juice, jam (really nice) and ice cream as well as eating them just like that!
When talking with Agriculture, an interesting bit of information was gleaned by me. The DOA is pushing for people to start small vegetable gardens to not only feed themselves, but to also provide a source of food should disruptions happen to the supplies from the US. They provide all the information, and will have an agronomist come and visit your garden to give advice on whatever problems you have. One of the garden centers even sells everything you need to build the garden! The problem is that only the older people are interested. the young ones either don't want to get their hands dirty or don't care.
It was determined that a small 4'x16' boxed garden could provide two people with most of the vegetables they would need year round (we have no winter to stop us planting) - assuming crop rotation and staggered planting as well as choosing high yield, low space needs like carrots, beets, onion, etc. That's the footprint of a car!
Anyways, I'm off work today so time to get outside a finish one chore or the other!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Fun Fun Fun
It's been 3 weeks and I have to apologize for the lack of information. It's not that there no are items to post, it is just that it is mainly repeats.
Chickens - this morning , we managed to trap a hen who had 9 young chicks (guess about 3 days old). It was a dilemma - leave them alone and she will lose most of the young'uns or catch them all. Early this morning, I though they we all in the trap but it turned out that the mother was eating and the chicks were behind the trap. Going to the trap, the 9 young ones scattered. I caught two by hand but the rest ran off. I placed the two in with the mother but they just slipped through the holes in the trap and left. No problem, I leave the mother there and catch them again. This time, I got a large cardboard box, placed some feed inside and started to catch them one by one. By 11:30, we had all 9 safe and secure. They wanted mother but I did not want to take the chance of them being injured. And no, this is not the hen sitting on the 11 eggs. She is still working on hatching those.
Of course, this presents a problem. I now have in various boxes and tractors, 8 hens (we let the rooster go because he was not being very nice to the hens) 6 pullets and 9 chicks. Solution - build a larger chicken coop! Not a real problem as there are many ideas on the all knowing internet.
Mangoes- we have 5 left on the tree, but are and now up to 15 sprouted trees from seeds. I have been buying some from the farmers - our largest to date is 2lbs 4oz (1020 grams) and it was called a Springfeld. It tastes like a mango but the aftertaste is like a pineapple.
Weather is still hot and sticky.
Economy - They have had some figures out in the press recently. Seems like our Government is running about a $75 million deficit. pretty amazing when you consider the population is about 65K - about $1150/person. We are a two pier economy - banking and tourism. There is no other base for government to obtain funds from except for duty on imported items. While there are no personal taxes, something will have to be done. The forecast is for an even greater reduction in Government income as well as increases spending.
They also published a short article in the Cayman Compass about the politicians salaries. It seems while they have been giving us a pay increase of about 8% over the last 4 years, they also gave themselves between 25 and 35% increase in the same period. But, there are calls for cutbacks, and other economy measures. Time will tell what the result will be.
There was a talk at work about how things are getting cheaper in Cayman. You can get discounts on appliances, building materials and other items you don't always buy on a regular basis, something that did not happen before! Hotels are offering local resident specials as are restaurants. On the other hand, supermarket food, fuel and other basics continue to rise. I have noticed more people riding scooters and a couple more bike riders in the mornings. Probably the best thing going is that it is damn near impossible to freeze to death in Cayman - naturally!
Hopefully, someone with a practical mind (on a politician?) will take a look at Government and cut all unnecessary spending. One item that came out in the newspapers was that Boatswain Beach (formerly known as the Turtle Farm) was being subsidized at a cost of 17 million a year. For turtles?
Bike - I have finished testing the randonneuring bike and all I can say is that it rides nice. My average speed on it is about 2 mph more that the commuting bike. A little fine tuning to do then I will take it all apart and powder coat the frame and other items.
On the commuting bike, I finally gave up on the cheap tires. I now have a Schwalbe 700x35 Smart Guard on the rear and the Vittoria Randonneur on the front. I just got tired on flats in the rear and my first tread separation in the front tire from the Kendas. I am looking forward to dependable riding now.
Chickens - this morning , we managed to trap a hen who had 9 young chicks (guess about 3 days old). It was a dilemma - leave them alone and she will lose most of the young'uns or catch them all. Early this morning, I though they we all in the trap but it turned out that the mother was eating and the chicks were behind the trap. Going to the trap, the 9 young ones scattered. I caught two by hand but the rest ran off. I placed the two in with the mother but they just slipped through the holes in the trap and left. No problem, I leave the mother there and catch them again. This time, I got a large cardboard box, placed some feed inside and started to catch them one by one. By 11:30, we had all 9 safe and secure. They wanted mother but I did not want to take the chance of them being injured. And no, this is not the hen sitting on the 11 eggs. She is still working on hatching those.
Of course, this presents a problem. I now have in various boxes and tractors, 8 hens (we let the rooster go because he was not being very nice to the hens) 6 pullets and 9 chicks. Solution - build a larger chicken coop! Not a real problem as there are many ideas on the all knowing internet.
Mangoes- we have 5 left on the tree, but are and now up to 15 sprouted trees from seeds. I have been buying some from the farmers - our largest to date is 2lbs 4oz (1020 grams) and it was called a Springfeld. It tastes like a mango but the aftertaste is like a pineapple.
Weather is still hot and sticky.
Economy - They have had some figures out in the press recently. Seems like our Government is running about a $75 million deficit. pretty amazing when you consider the population is about 65K - about $1150/person. We are a two pier economy - banking and tourism. There is no other base for government to obtain funds from except for duty on imported items. While there are no personal taxes, something will have to be done. The forecast is for an even greater reduction in Government income as well as increases spending.
They also published a short article in the Cayman Compass about the politicians salaries. It seems while they have been giving us a pay increase of about 8% over the last 4 years, they also gave themselves between 25 and 35% increase in the same period. But, there are calls for cutbacks, and other economy measures. Time will tell what the result will be.
There was a talk at work about how things are getting cheaper in Cayman. You can get discounts on appliances, building materials and other items you don't always buy on a regular basis, something that did not happen before! Hotels are offering local resident specials as are restaurants. On the other hand, supermarket food, fuel and other basics continue to rise. I have noticed more people riding scooters and a couple more bike riders in the mornings. Probably the best thing going is that it is damn near impossible to freeze to death in Cayman - naturally!
Hopefully, someone with a practical mind (on a politician?) will take a look at Government and cut all unnecessary spending. One item that came out in the newspapers was that Boatswain Beach (formerly known as the Turtle Farm) was being subsidized at a cost of 17 million a year. For turtles?
Bike - I have finished testing the randonneuring bike and all I can say is that it rides nice. My average speed on it is about 2 mph more that the commuting bike. A little fine tuning to do then I will take it all apart and powder coat the frame and other items.
On the commuting bike, I finally gave up on the cheap tires. I now have a Schwalbe 700x35 Smart Guard on the rear and the Vittoria Randonneur on the front. I just got tired on flats in the rear and my first tread separation in the front tire from the Kendas. I am looking forward to dependable riding now.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Busy busy busy...
Time sure flies fast when you are doing things.
In the interim, I was ill with the flu for a week and I still have traces of it. It is hot outside - we are now getting the day of 90F+ with 90% humidity. Really makes one enjoy and appreciate AC!
Chicken tractor - made a bulk feeder for the tractor. Now, they have about 1 week's supply of corn and grain to supplement their other food. The reason is that on some days, the chickens seem hungry when you go to feed them and on others not interested in the food. I am not sure what is happening as they do get a steady supply of fruits, grain and other stuff. But I prefer to err on the side of caution. Working on a bulk watering system now. During their scratching in the grass, a lot of junk gets into their water supply. No eggs for a couple weeks. Believe that a lot of it has to do with the heat.
Mangoes - Mango season is in full swing. Everything from small to large - tasty to just a little less tasty. I have spent the last week looking for the smallest and largest ones I can find - based on type not size. Picking an average unit of each, I weighed them. The smallest is the common round mango at 4 oz (110 grams), while the largest so far is at 29 oz (800 grams)for a Valencia Pride. Both are very tasty and I planted the seeds after enjoying the fruit. I now have 11 seeds growing - common, Nelson, Bombay, Valencia Pride and East Indian to name a few. I am going to try growing dwarf fruit trees to get more species in my small yard. I did manage to get hold of a seed from mango called Madame Francis from Haiti. A mature tree is supposed to produce up to 1,000 mangoes - that right, 1K! Of course, with the lack of good soil in Cayman, I am sure that 200 would be an achievement! There is a saying in Jamaica that when mango season starts, put your pots away! They are not kidding!
With the rains, the grass started to grow and it now has to be cut every week.
In the interim, I was ill with the flu for a week and I still have traces of it. It is hot outside - we are now getting the day of 90F+ with 90% humidity. Really makes one enjoy and appreciate AC!
Chicken tractor - made a bulk feeder for the tractor. Now, they have about 1 week's supply of corn and grain to supplement their other food. The reason is that on some days, the chickens seem hungry when you go to feed them and on others not interested in the food. I am not sure what is happening as they do get a steady supply of fruits, grain and other stuff. But I prefer to err on the side of caution. Working on a bulk watering system now. During their scratching in the grass, a lot of junk gets into their water supply. No eggs for a couple weeks. Believe that a lot of it has to do with the heat.
Mangoes - Mango season is in full swing. Everything from small to large - tasty to just a little less tasty. I have spent the last week looking for the smallest and largest ones I can find - based on type not size. Picking an average unit of each, I weighed them. The smallest is the common round mango at 4 oz (110 grams), while the largest so far is at 29 oz (800 grams)for a Valencia Pride. Both are very tasty and I planted the seeds after enjoying the fruit. I now have 11 seeds growing - common, Nelson, Bombay, Valencia Pride and East Indian to name a few. I am going to try growing dwarf fruit trees to get more species in my small yard. I did manage to get hold of a seed from mango called Madame Francis from Haiti. A mature tree is supposed to produce up to 1,000 mangoes - that right, 1K! Of course, with the lack of good soil in Cayman, I am sure that 200 would be an achievement! There is a saying in Jamaica that when mango season starts, put your pots away! They are not kidding!
With the rains, the grass started to grow and it now has to be cut every week.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Playin' with cameras and lenses
A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I had collected a some lenses from the US and was playing with them.
After reviewing other conversion attempts on the web, I made a few decisions. The connection had to be all metal and strong - no epoxying plastic lens caps together to make the adapters.It did not have to be permanent but on the other hand, I am pretty sure no one is going to make a FD or M42 lend mount digital camera (would be nice to be proved wrong though!). I would need auto focus confirmation on each lens - my eyesight is not what it used to be. And finally, it had to be wholly achieveable with the few tools I have.
And I believe that I have succeeded on each one of those.
One of the most difficult things to do was to figure out how far from the camera focal plane the lens had to be. We are not talking about ultra precise measurements, just within a 0.5mm or so.
The first thing was to construct a device that would hold the lens perpendicular to the camera and allow the camera to be adjusted back and forth to find the optimum separation distance. The images below show my quick setup and how it works. The device is crudely made from a few strips of wood and a macro focus attachment.
The second and third pictures show how it moves the camera back and forth. A simple ruler can measure the difference needed.
After reviewing other conversion attempts on the web, I made a few decisions. The connection had to be all metal and strong - no epoxying plastic lens caps together to make the adapters.It did not have to be permanent but on the other hand, I am pretty sure no one is going to make a FD or M42 lend mount digital camera (would be nice to be proved wrong though!). I would need auto focus confirmation on each lens - my eyesight is not what it used to be. And finally, it had to be wholly achieveable with the few tools I have.
And I believe that I have succeeded on each one of those.
One of the most difficult things to do was to figure out how far from the camera focal plane the lens had to be. We are not talking about ultra precise measurements, just within a 0.5mm or so.
The first thing was to construct a device that would hold the lens perpendicular to the camera and allow the camera to be adjusted back and forth to find the optimum separation distance. The images below show my quick setup and how it works. The device is crudely made from a few strips of wood and a macro focus attachment.
The second and third pictures show how it moves the camera back and forth. A simple ruler can measure the difference needed.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Rain Rain and more rain
This morning was a bit cloudy but by 8:30am, it had all changed.
It started to drizzle and by 10am, we were being rained on.A good, heavy steady downpour. It lasted over n hour and it was badly needed. This was repeated over the next 5 hours accumulating 2 1/2" of rain. However, I know I will be saying something different in a couple weeks when I have to cut the grass every weekend!
After a bit of work on the new house, I went into the garage and started to play with the bike. Just minor things- small adjustment here and there, checking things over before I take the big test ride.
I still have to work on the hydration / cooler system but that will come in time. Here are some pictures for now :-) First we have the cockpit - On the left is a speedometer (maximum, average, instant)/cadence(avg and instant)/ odometer (total, this ride,) timer/clock and a host of other options. The Garmin unit gives location on a map, speed, cadence, heart rate, elevation, clock, timer and more. probably too much information to be honest! In front of this is the handlebar bad that holds snacks, camera or other quick reach items.
Following photos are front rack and tires, then chainwheel and rear end. You can click on each image for a larger picture and to read the writing.
It started to drizzle and by 10am, we were being rained on.A good, heavy steady downpour. It lasted over n hour and it was badly needed. This was repeated over the next 5 hours accumulating 2 1/2" of rain. However, I know I will be saying something different in a couple weeks when I have to cut the grass every weekend!
After a bit of work on the new house, I went into the garage and started to play with the bike. Just minor things- small adjustment here and there, checking things over before I take the big test ride.
I still have to work on the hydration / cooler system but that will come in time. Here are some pictures for now :-) First we have the cockpit - On the left is a speedometer (maximum, average, instant)/cadence(avg and instant)/ odometer (total, this ride,) timer/clock and a host of other options. The Garmin unit gives location on a map, speed, cadence, heart rate, elevation, clock, timer and more. probably too much information to be honest! In front of this is the handlebar bad that holds snacks, camera or other quick reach items.
Following photos are front rack and tires, then chainwheel and rear end. You can click on each image for a larger picture and to read the writing.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
It's getting hotter
It's has been busy the last couple weeks.
It's another long weekend with the Queen's birthday being recognized on Monday. I once again took the Friday off for a 4 day weekend. It gave me a chance to run some needed errands and do a bit of shopping!
First of all, we finally have the last red card for the new house. What happened is that we are building a new home. When you make a major change, you have to get a new red card. The first change was to enlarge the second floor. The final change was to add a third floor. Now, we can proceed with final electrical and plumbing inspections and work on finishing the home. There are still trim to install, closet organizers to build/install, stairs to be covered with the flooring and a host of little things that while not needed to move in, will be easier to do before the furniture and people are there. My guess is that we will be moving in before September. I am sure Janie and others will say otherwise!
Summer is finally here and it's time for the heat to "come on down and stay awhile". We get rains in June and rains once again in September. The period between is hot and humid. Daytime temps are 90-95+. Currently, the outside temp is 90 at 7:00am which is not bad. The problem is the humidity which can be between 75-90%. It definitely makes one live with the AC in both cars and homes.
I have noticed lately that there is quite a local trade in fruit trees going on. Someone will trade you a mango tree for a banana. You will get a free hot pepper plant because they have too many. On Thursday, Janie was given a Otahiti (sp) apple tree because someone had too many. Thankfully, I have a large yard so I can always find a place for them.
Mangoes are ripening across Cayman and there are farmers selling their produce along the roadside. One such person has a small stand across from Public Beach on West Bay Road. He sells mangoes, watermelons, starfruit, and sweet potatoes on a regular basis with bananas and less common fruits infrequently. He makes an absolutely delicious fruit punch with watermelon, mango, guava and tamarind juices.
I was telling him last week that I need to start collecting points since I am stopping almost every afternoon on the way home from work to buy mangoes or watermelons. You do get recognition from people in cars when you are riding home with a whole watermelon strapped to the rear of your bicycle!
Chickens are still there and the 4 young ones are growing rapidly. Egg production is averaging 4-6 per week. I saw a nice hen with 4 chicks yesterday afternoon. I am now trying to trap the mother and young ones to add to the collection. Of course, it means I have to build a bigger chicken tractor. As I was updating this blog, I took a quick look outside and saw two young hens eating in the trap. I sprung it and now have two new hens in the tractor. I will definitely have to enlarge it now (or eat a chicken)! :-0
I have received the 3 M42-EOS adapters from Hong Kong on Thursday and have begun the conversion of my second lens, a Canon FD 35-105 F3.5-3.5 that I bought specifically for testing. I have to admit that the project was a lot simpler than initially thought. I had to make a small aluminum piece from 1/16" aluminum plate that would allow me to control the F stop setting while still replacing everything else. About 5 minutes taking measurements and another 15 minutes of cutting and filing and I have my part. It is epoxied to the F-stop ring and moves the aperture blades via an existing lever. The epoxy is drying and I will be re-assembling the unit tomorrow morning for lens to focal plane testing. It will be fairly easy to adjust the final measurement as the adapter is screwed on and spacers can be readily added or removed as necessary. Update - June 20 - Further testing showed that I have to change the design of the F-stop adjuster. These are zoom lenses and when one increases the length of the lens (i.e. - go from 35mm to 105mm), the F-stop lever drops down into the lens and is not adjustable. Back to the drawing board!
The next lens will be a 35-105 F3.5 with Macro, a lens I believe I will be using most of the time.
Tools used are a ruler, various screwdrivers, file, hacksaw, lathe and milling machine.
The randonneuring bike is 95% complete for riding. It has been assembled and I did a short test ride. I was plagued by a leak in the rear tire but it was a pinched tube caused by trying to install the Schwalbe Marathons. They are so tight when first installed that one has to use a tire lever . But after a few miles of being under pressure, they become hand installation friendly. The final choice for now is 700x25 Marathons because I have them and need to use them The actual ride tires will be 700x28s which are also in hand. The final items are a insulated water cooler on the front rack and the 2m radio for communications with home/base/support. Pictures and more details to follow.
It's another long weekend with the Queen's birthday being recognized on Monday. I once again took the Friday off for a 4 day weekend. It gave me a chance to run some needed errands and do a bit of shopping!
First of all, we finally have the last red card for the new house. What happened is that we are building a new home. When you make a major change, you have to get a new red card. The first change was to enlarge the second floor. The final change was to add a third floor. Now, we can proceed with final electrical and plumbing inspections and work on finishing the home. There are still trim to install, closet organizers to build/install, stairs to be covered with the flooring and a host of little things that while not needed to move in, will be easier to do before the furniture and people are there. My guess is that we will be moving in before September. I am sure Janie and others will say otherwise!
Summer is finally here and it's time for the heat to "come on down and stay awhile". We get rains in June and rains once again in September. The period between is hot and humid. Daytime temps are 90-95+. Currently, the outside temp is 90 at 7:00am which is not bad. The problem is the humidity which can be between 75-90%. It definitely makes one live with the AC in both cars and homes.
I have noticed lately that there is quite a local trade in fruit trees going on. Someone will trade you a mango tree for a banana. You will get a free hot pepper plant because they have too many. On Thursday, Janie was given a Otahiti (sp) apple tree because someone had too many. Thankfully, I have a large yard so I can always find a place for them.
Mangoes are ripening across Cayman and there are farmers selling their produce along the roadside. One such person has a small stand across from Public Beach on West Bay Road. He sells mangoes, watermelons, starfruit, and sweet potatoes on a regular basis with bananas and less common fruits infrequently. He makes an absolutely delicious fruit punch with watermelon, mango, guava and tamarind juices.
I was telling him last week that I need to start collecting points since I am stopping almost every afternoon on the way home from work to buy mangoes or watermelons. You do get recognition from people in cars when you are riding home with a whole watermelon strapped to the rear of your bicycle!
Chickens are still there and the 4 young ones are growing rapidly. Egg production is averaging 4-6 per week. I saw a nice hen with 4 chicks yesterday afternoon. I am now trying to trap the mother and young ones to add to the collection. Of course, it means I have to build a bigger chicken tractor. As I was updating this blog, I took a quick look outside and saw two young hens eating in the trap. I sprung it and now have two new hens in the tractor. I will definitely have to enlarge it now (or eat a chicken)! :-0
I have received the 3 M42-EOS adapters from Hong Kong on Thursday and have begun the conversion of my second lens, a Canon FD 35-105 F3.5-3.5 that I bought specifically for testing. I have to admit that the project was a lot simpler than initially thought. I had to make a small aluminum piece from 1/16" aluminum plate that would allow me to control the F stop setting while still replacing everything else. About 5 minutes taking measurements and another 15 minutes of cutting and filing and I have my part. It is epoxied to the F-stop ring and moves the aperture blades via an existing lever. The epoxy is drying and I will be re-assembling the unit tomorrow morning for lens to focal plane testing. It will be fairly easy to adjust the final measurement as the adapter is screwed on and spacers can be readily added or removed as necessary. Update - June 20 - Further testing showed that I have to change the design of the F-stop adjuster. These are zoom lenses and when one increases the length of the lens (i.e. - go from 35mm to 105mm), the F-stop lever drops down into the lens and is not adjustable. Back to the drawing board!
The next lens will be a 35-105 F3.5 with Macro, a lens I believe I will be using most of the time.
Tools used are a ruler, various screwdrivers, file, hacksaw, lathe and milling machine.
The randonneuring bike is 95% complete for riding. It has been assembled and I did a short test ride. I was plagued by a leak in the rear tire but it was a pinched tube caused by trying to install the Schwalbe Marathons. They are so tight when first installed that one has to use a tire lever . But after a few miles of being under pressure, they become hand installation friendly. The final choice for now is 700x25 Marathons because I have them and need to use them The actual ride tires will be 700x28s which are also in hand. The final items are a insulated water cooler on the front rack and the 2m radio for communications with home/base/support. Pictures and more details to follow.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Even longer delays in updating
Hi Rick & Jelly;
At your request, please find the latest updates below to help you enjoy Cayman.
Cayman
Things have been pretty busy lately. Besides work, there were public and work holidays, meetings on Astronomy, the Ham Radio Club as well as chicken and gardening updates. Some bike work and a bit of experimentation in photography.
I took a few days off work when a unique situation came up. Monday May 18 was a public holiday and Wed May 20 was election day (another full public holiday). The election process is a bit unique down here. Approximately 22,000 people are true Caymanians with 15,000 (local and status holders) being registered voters. These registered voters determine the future of approx 60,000 people.
I live in West Bay where there are 4 positions available as representatives of the people in the Legislative Assembly. Hence (for unknown reasons) every registered West Bay voter gets to vote for 4 people out of the list of wanna be candidates. That's right - 4 votes. Everyone in George Town also has 4 votes, Bodden Town has 3 with East End and North Side each having only 1 vote. Finally, the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman each get 2 votes. A total of 17 elected members. I believe that there were a total of 44 candidates. The winning party was the UDP who got 9 out of 15 seats in Grand Cayman and 1 out of 2 in the Sister Islands.
What does this mean for these islands? Only time will tell!
Astronomy
The Cayman Astronomical Society had a meeting a couple Tuesdays ago. Here, we elected the new committee members as well as made some plans to start a more dedicated user section dealing with astro photography. We will start of the easy objects like the moon and progress to the planets. There ware currently 3 of us interested and keep an eye out for some of our results. This is a learn as you go project.
Cycling
I have just returned from a 5 day break in the US of A. I managed to obtain a few needed items like good tires, handlebars, specialized brake levers and assorted items need to complete the new-to-me randonneuring bike. I will post some photos as items are installed and tested.
Chickens
There has been a couple setbacks and minor improvements in this topic. The setback occurred when a certain person who shall not be called by name (the wife) went to feed the chickens one morning. I was getting ready to ride to work when she called my name. I went to see what the problem was and found that the rooster, 2 hens and a young chick had pushed their way out of the entry door when her back was turned. Needless to say, they took off running. Various attempts to catch them have failed so far and they are probably lost for good. The neighbors have also takes up the hobby of chickens and one has about 30 while the other has about 10.
The good news is that we managed to catch two young ones (one that escaped weeks ago and well as the young one who stepped out) as well as a young rooster and are now back to 7.
Fruits
On the election day holiday, Sarah came and told me that a bunch of bananas were turning yellow and she wanted to cut the down ? I said go ahead and she did. When I arrived yesterday, it was nice to eat ripe bananas from the yard. There are a two more bunches that are very close to getting ready so we will be enjoying more very soon. Nothing like a tree ripened banana!
The mangoes also look like they are getting ripe too. Janie said that while I was away, a guy came into the yard late one evening and was looking over the mango and breadfruit trees. The dogs were in their pen and they were barking loudly which got her attention. Needless to say, she picked the couple mangoes and a breadfruit that were close to being ready. I had a mango last night and this morning when looking the tree over, managed to find one that was ready and added it to the pile. You will notice in the photo that a ripe mango has the same colour as a yellow leaf making it even harder to find visually!
I believe that I have the only grafted mango tree in the whole neighborhood. This could explain all the attention the tree is producing. Just means that I will have to be more vigilant in checking on it.
While in the US, I got some books on chickens and gardening. I really did not know how much effect the economic downturn had had! Many people were at the book store or the gardeninfg centers buying plants, seeds, fertilizer and other items looking at gardening as a way to eat better. There were many more books and magazines than I had ever seen! This can only mean good things for local economies.
Photography
I managed to pick up three camera lenses that I had ordered. I currently use a Canon DSLR and find that all too frequently, I have problems in trying to use the electronic focus on a particular item when it is in a different focal plane than the background. A real pain when you are trying to get that one off, there for a second shot! This really bothers me as you buy auto-focus lenses to solve this problem. The lenses were all manual focus, Japan made (means all metal construction). Two were Canon FD mount (35-105 F3.4-4.5 & 35-105 F3.5) as well as a M42 mount Soligor (35-70 F2.5-3.5) for use with a webcam. Why did I get them? First of all, they were cheap. The Canons were about $50 each and the Soligor was about $20. Secondly, they are from a time when things were made to last. I have a EF telephoto that I bought about 3 years ago. It has stopped working and the quoted cost to fix it is more that I paid for the lens. It is mainly plastic construction. And finally, I get to play with them. The first project is to convert the lenses from FD to EF mount.
I currently have 9 FD mount lenses of various focal lengths. I converted a 400mm F5.6 lens to EF mount about a year ago and all can say it that it works perfectly. Just have to repeat the same thing for the others. The result is quality lenses for a small fraction of the going price. For example, the most I have paid for a lens is $125 for a 85mm 1.8 FD lens. The EF version goes for about $450 and is mainly plastic. The parts for the conversion run around $20. Needless to say, the 85mm will be the last one I convert!
I can use an FD to EF adapter, but it becomes a hassle to swap it back and forth between lenses.
FD lenses can be had from around $10 to $2500with the L series all occupying the higher end. Without the L lenses, it tops out around 550 for an 85mm F1.2. In the EF arena, the range is $150 to $10,000 . Without the L lenses, it tops out at $2500 with the EF 85mm F.12 coming in at around $1,800. And many of the new lenses are zooms which are not as optimized for the whole range as a fixed focal length lens is.
But enough chitter chatter, see you next time.
At your request, please find the latest updates below to help you enjoy Cayman.
Cayman
Things have been pretty busy lately. Besides work, there were public and work holidays, meetings on Astronomy, the Ham Radio Club as well as chicken and gardening updates. Some bike work and a bit of experimentation in photography.
I took a few days off work when a unique situation came up. Monday May 18 was a public holiday and Wed May 20 was election day (another full public holiday). The election process is a bit unique down here. Approximately 22,000 people are true Caymanians with 15,000 (local and status holders) being registered voters. These registered voters determine the future of approx 60,000 people.
I live in West Bay where there are 4 positions available as representatives of the people in the Legislative Assembly. Hence (for unknown reasons) every registered West Bay voter gets to vote for 4 people out of the list of wanna be candidates. That's right - 4 votes. Everyone in George Town also has 4 votes, Bodden Town has 3 with East End and North Side each having only 1 vote. Finally, the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman each get 2 votes. A total of 17 elected members. I believe that there were a total of 44 candidates. The winning party was the UDP who got 9 out of 15 seats in Grand Cayman and 1 out of 2 in the Sister Islands.
What does this mean for these islands? Only time will tell!
Astronomy
The Cayman Astronomical Society had a meeting a couple Tuesdays ago. Here, we elected the new committee members as well as made some plans to start a more dedicated user section dealing with astro photography. We will start of the easy objects like the moon and progress to the planets. There ware currently 3 of us interested and keep an eye out for some of our results. This is a learn as you go project.
Cycling
I have just returned from a 5 day break in the US of A. I managed to obtain a few needed items like good tires, handlebars, specialized brake levers and assorted items need to complete the new-to-me randonneuring bike. I will post some photos as items are installed and tested.
Chickens
There has been a couple setbacks and minor improvements in this topic. The setback occurred when a certain person who shall not be called by name (the wife) went to feed the chickens one morning. I was getting ready to ride to work when she called my name. I went to see what the problem was and found that the rooster, 2 hens and a young chick had pushed their way out of the entry door when her back was turned. Needless to say, they took off running. Various attempts to catch them have failed so far and they are probably lost for good. The neighbors have also takes up the hobby of chickens and one has about 30 while the other has about 10.
The good news is that we managed to catch two young ones (one that escaped weeks ago and well as the young one who stepped out) as well as a young rooster and are now back to 7.
Fruits
On the election day holiday, Sarah came and told me that a bunch of bananas were turning yellow and she wanted to cut the down ? I said go ahead and she did. When I arrived yesterday, it was nice to eat ripe bananas from the yard. There are a two more bunches that are very close to getting ready so we will be enjoying more very soon. Nothing like a tree ripened banana!
The mangoes also look like they are getting ripe too. Janie said that while I was away, a guy came into the yard late one evening and was looking over the mango and breadfruit trees. The dogs were in their pen and they were barking loudly which got her attention. Needless to say, she picked the couple mangoes and a breadfruit that were close to being ready. I had a mango last night and this morning when looking the tree over, managed to find one that was ready and added it to the pile. You will notice in the photo that a ripe mango has the same colour as a yellow leaf making it even harder to find visually!
I believe that I have the only grafted mango tree in the whole neighborhood. This could explain all the attention the tree is producing. Just means that I will have to be more vigilant in checking on it.While in the US, I got some books on chickens and gardening. I really did not know how much effect the economic downturn had had! Many people were at the book store or the gardeninfg centers buying plants, seeds, fertilizer and other items looking at gardening as a way to eat better. There were many more books and magazines than I had ever seen! This can only mean good things for local economies.
Photography
I managed to pick up three camera lenses that I had ordered. I currently use a Canon DSLR and find that all too frequently, I have problems in trying to use the electronic focus on a particular item when it is in a different focal plane than the background. A real pain when you are trying to get that one off, there for a second shot! This really bothers me as you buy auto-focus lenses to solve this problem. The lenses were all manual focus, Japan made (means all metal construction). Two were Canon FD mount (35-105 F3.4-4.5 & 35-105 F3.5) as well as a M42 mount Soligor (35-70 F2.5-3.5) for use with a webcam. Why did I get them? First of all, they were cheap. The Canons were about $50 each and the Soligor was about $20. Secondly, they are from a time when things were made to last. I have a EF telephoto that I bought about 3 years ago. It has stopped working and the quoted cost to fix it is more that I paid for the lens. It is mainly plastic construction. And finally, I get to play with them. The first project is to convert the lenses from FD to EF mount.
I currently have 9 FD mount lenses of various focal lengths. I converted a 400mm F5.6 lens to EF mount about a year ago and all can say it that it works perfectly. Just have to repeat the same thing for the others. The result is quality lenses for a small fraction of the going price. For example, the most I have paid for a lens is $125 for a 85mm 1.8 FD lens. The EF version goes for about $450 and is mainly plastic. The parts for the conversion run around $20. Needless to say, the 85mm will be the last one I convert!
I can use an FD to EF adapter, but it becomes a hassle to swap it back and forth between lenses.
FD lenses can be had from around $10 to $2500with the L series all occupying the higher end. Without the L lenses, it tops out around 550 for an 85mm F1.2. In the EF arena, the range is $150 to $10,000 . Without the L lenses, it tops out at $2500 with the EF 85mm F.12 coming in at around $1,800. And many of the new lenses are zooms which are not as optimized for the whole range as a fixed focal length lens is.
But enough chitter chatter, see you next time.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
What's been happening?
It's been a while since I have added anything so here goes.
Last weekend, Janie and I went for a drive around the eastern end of Grand Cayman to get some pictures for a request made by Richard. Hope these images help you Richard! The second view is from the cabana! What a rough life we live!
The chicken population has increased. Dorothy managed to catch and rooster and hen early last week. Then I managed to catch another hen and then 3 pullets over the weekend, bringing
our population up to 9. It's more than I planned but we can always let the ones we don't want go. There were actually 4 pullets caught but one managed to sneak out from the tractor when we were rolling it to a new location. On the other hand, the escaped pullet and another hen are now following the tractor around, gleaning the food remainders when we shift location. And the answer to the big question - YES! We did manage to have 4 eggs last week. And the taste is by far superior to the store bought eggs. None this week but we are not concerned. The chickens are still getting settled in their new location.
Home Grown eggs on the left, store bought on the right.
We have been experimenting with different foods to give them - ranging from kitchen scraps to bird feed and cracked corn. They seem to enjoy it all so we are happy.
My niece has seen the tractor and has requested that I make her one too. She lives besides a large wooded areas and has many chickens in her yard. She too likes the idea of free-range eggs.
A neighbor two doors down has begun to build what looks like a portable chicken coop. I'm keeping an eye on his construction to see what happens. I also noticed that he has made a chicken trap too! Could be catching on!
Janie was talking to one of her co-workers about our new venture and the co-worker said that she had built a chicken coop and began trapping chickens. She now has over 80 in her possession! I'm impressed! Makes my little project seem like child's play!
Well, with that little item completed and successful, time to start something else.
We already have a few fruit trees in the yard. Here are mangoes and guavas - both are green but will ripen. There is nothing like picking a ripe fruit from the tree and eating it. You can smell both the ripe mangoes and guavas before even seeing them. Many times I can be found searching the tree for a ripe mango. Smelling, yet not seeing.
I have been looking at constructing a raised garden bed. While we have a year round growing climate, we are unfortunate to be a coral island with very little topsoil. There are good area with 2-3' of soil depth and other areas (like where I live) with the topsoil depth being 2"-3" or less. There are pockets of soil but they are few and far between.
The reasons are that it gives me something to pass the time on, allows me to tinker with something else and provides a food resource on an island where probably 95% of the food we eat comes from or through the USA. Countries like Australia are recommending their inhabitants to stockpile some basic food for when there are shortages. In Cayman's case, a shortage in the US will mean that there will be less to sell and if it is there, a higher price! It is already recommended that locals stock extra supplies in the event of a hurricane and most people do. I'm just taking it a bit further!
We had a bit of a joke last week. Dorothy and Janie said that it was time to cut down two bunches of bananas that had matured and were ready for cooking (yes - there are cooking and eating bananas). The plants were about 10' high so I did as requested.
In one bunch, there was a frog hiding between the hands. Dorothy saw it first and the next thing we knew was she had placed herself far away from the critter on the top of the wall !
Last weekend, Janie and I went for a drive around the eastern end of Grand Cayman to get some pictures for a request made by Richard. Hope these images help you Richard! The second view is from the cabana! What a rough life we live!
The chicken population has increased. Dorothy managed to catch and rooster and hen early last week. Then I managed to catch another hen and then 3 pullets over the weekend, bringing
our population up to 9. It's more than I planned but we can always let the ones we don't want go. There were actually 4 pullets caught but one managed to sneak out from the tractor when we were rolling it to a new location. On the other hand, the escaped pullet and another hen are now following the tractor around, gleaning the food remainders when we shift location. And the answer to the big question - YES! We did manage to have 4 eggs last week. And the taste is by far superior to the store bought eggs. None this week but we are not concerned. The chickens are still getting settled in their new location.
Home Grown eggs on the left, store bought on the right.We have been experimenting with different foods to give them - ranging from kitchen scraps to bird feed and cracked corn. They seem to enjoy it all so we are happy.
My niece has seen the tractor and has requested that I make her one too. She lives besides a large wooded areas and has many chickens in her yard. She too likes the idea of free-range eggs.
A neighbor two doors down has begun to build what looks like a portable chicken coop. I'm keeping an eye on his construction to see what happens. I also noticed that he has made a chicken trap too! Could be catching on!
Janie was talking to one of her co-workers about our new venture and the co-worker said that she had built a chicken coop and began trapping chickens. She now has over 80 in her possession! I'm impressed! Makes my little project seem like child's play!
Well, with that little item completed and successful, time to start something else.
We already have a few fruit trees in the yard. Here are mangoes and guavas - both are green but will ripen. There is nothing like picking a ripe fruit from the tree and eating it. You can smell both the ripe mangoes and guavas before even seeing them. Many times I can be found searching the tree for a ripe mango. Smelling, yet not seeing.
I have been looking at constructing a raised garden bed. While we have a year round growing climate, we are unfortunate to be a coral island with very little topsoil. There are good area with 2-3' of soil depth and other areas (like where I live) with the topsoil depth being 2"-3" or less. There are pockets of soil but they are few and far between.
The reasons are that it gives me something to pass the time on, allows me to tinker with something else and provides a food resource on an island where probably 95% of the food we eat comes from or through the USA. Countries like Australia are recommending their inhabitants to stockpile some basic food for when there are shortages. In Cayman's case, a shortage in the US will mean that there will be less to sell and if it is there, a higher price! It is already recommended that locals stock extra supplies in the event of a hurricane and most people do. I'm just taking it a bit further!
We had a bit of a joke last week. Dorothy and Janie said that it was time to cut down two bunches of bananas that had matured and were ready for cooking (yes - there are cooking and eating bananas). The plants were about 10' high so I did as requested.In one bunch, there was a frog hiding between the hands. Dorothy saw it first and the next thing we knew was she had placed herself far away from the critter on the top of the wall !
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Easter long weekend plus
Well, we just finished a 4 day Easter Weekend and I also took Tues and Wed off. Gave me time to catch up on some chores around the house and further some projects.
The wife was gone to visit our son, daughter and her family in Canada so I was enjoying some freedom as a part-time bachelor (with one kid).
The first thing was to finish the chicken tractor off. This was completed by Sunday along with a chicken trap.
Sarah partially painted the tractor and will be finishing it this week as she is off school.
The first view is with the top open. You can see the steps going to the "loft" and roost. There is another loft hidden towards the viewer. It will be a few months until the top is opened like this.
The lofts are for laying eggs and roosting. Straw and shredded paper will be used for bedding. It has the capacity to comfortably hold 8 chickens but I will probably stop at 5 or 6.
We have small doors on the top and bottom to allow access to the eggs and to feed them without opening the top. Sarah had caught a wild chicken a little while ago and put it in there as a test. When she opened the top to feed it, it flew away. Lesson learned.
The little stairway is to allow the smaller birds to get up to the roost - especially if they are young ones. On Tuesday afternoon, we set the trap with some food, not trying to catch anything but to get the chickens used to it.
Today, as I was taking the pictures of the tractor, I saw some activity at the trap. Sure enough, there was a mother and 7 young chicks eating. I pulled the trip cord and the support came down. This was great as the young ones would get used to the tractor very easily and make life a lot nicer for us. Dorothy, Sarah and I went there and viewed our catch. The mother was trying to fly away but was confined by the mesh. The chicks were running around trying to find a way out. The only way to get them out was to lift one side and catch them individually. No problem with the mother and the first two chicks. In trying to catch the third, two of them slipped out at once. I got one but the other ran away. Down to six chicks. When transporting a chick from the trap to the tractor, Sarah dropped one and it flew away. Down to 5. When the rest were safe in the new home, two managed to slip out under the edge of the tractor. The ground is rough and while the fit is generally close, the small guys can squeeze through any hole while the mother cannot. Final count is 3 chicks and 1 hen. But the trap is baited and ready for the other small ones. They will come around when the mother calls and we will try to reunite the family.
Here is the trap and a small meter long iguana who was snooping around it.
The next item on my list was preparation for hurricanes. While we are still a couple months from the official start in June, it was time to check communications. My wife and I as well as my parents are all licensed to use 2m radio equipment (144 - 148 MHz). During Hurricane Ivan, we were able to talk to each other when both land lines and cell phones were down. I got the equipment out and began operational and well as physical checks.
All was well with the exception of the coax between the radio and antenna. this was replaced as water had gotten in and shorted it out. This coming weekend, I will do scheduled maintenance on the battery pack that powers the whole thing. It is showing some signs of corrosion on the terminals. With the radio, I can reach across the whole island directly on high power or via the repeater on both high and low power. A repeater is an amplified re transmitter that receives the signal on one frequency and transmits on another at higher output - allowing greater coverage. The ham club repeater is based in Northward and transmits high up on the 250' Government tower.
Finally, the request for pictures of people camping over the Easter holiday. I hope you like this one Richard! No snow down here!
The wife was gone to visit our son, daughter and her family in Canada so I was enjoying some freedom as a part-time bachelor (with one kid).
The first thing was to finish the chicken tractor off. This was completed by Sunday along with a chicken trap.
Sarah partially painted the tractor and will be finishing it this week as she is off school.
The first view is with the top open. You can see the steps going to the "loft" and roost. There is another loft hidden towards the viewer. It will be a few months until the top is opened like this.
The lofts are for laying eggs and roosting. Straw and shredded paper will be used for bedding. It has the capacity to comfortably hold 8 chickens but I will probably stop at 5 or 6.We have small doors on the top and bottom to allow access to the eggs and to feed them without opening the top. Sarah had caught a wild chicken a little while ago and put it in there as a test. When she opened the top to feed it, it flew away. Lesson learned.
The little stairway is to allow the smaller birds to get up to the roost - especially if they are young ones. On Tuesday afternoon, we set the trap with some food, not trying to catch anything but to get the chickens used to it.
Today, as I was taking the pictures of the tractor, I saw some activity at the trap. Sure enough, there was a mother and 7 young chicks eating. I pulled the trip cord and the support came down. This was great as the young ones would get used to the tractor very easily and make life a lot nicer for us. Dorothy, Sarah and I went there and viewed our catch. The mother was trying to fly away but was confined by the mesh. The chicks were running around trying to find a way out. The only way to get them out was to lift one side and catch them individually. No problem with the mother and the first two chicks. In trying to catch the third, two of them slipped out at once. I got one but the other ran away. Down to six chicks. When transporting a chick from the trap to the tractor, Sarah dropped one and it flew away. Down to 5. When the rest were safe in the new home, two managed to slip out under the edge of the tractor. The ground is rough and while the fit is generally close, the small guys can squeeze through any hole while the mother cannot. Final count is 3 chicks and 1 hen. But the trap is baited and ready for the other small ones. They will come around when the mother calls and we will try to reunite the family.
Here is the trap and a small meter long iguana who was snooping around it.
The next item on my list was preparation for hurricanes. While we are still a couple months from the official start in June, it was time to check communications. My wife and I as well as my parents are all licensed to use 2m radio equipment (144 - 148 MHz). During Hurricane Ivan, we were able to talk to each other when both land lines and cell phones were down. I got the equipment out and began operational and well as physical checks.
All was well with the exception of the coax between the radio and antenna. this was replaced as water had gotten in and shorted it out. This coming weekend, I will do scheduled maintenance on the battery pack that powers the whole thing. It is showing some signs of corrosion on the terminals. With the radio, I can reach across the whole island directly on high power or via the repeater on both high and low power. A repeater is an amplified re transmitter that receives the signal on one frequency and transmits on another at higher output - allowing greater coverage. The ham club repeater is based in Northward and transmits high up on the 250' Government tower.Finally, the request for pictures of people camping over the Easter holiday. I hope you like this one Richard! No snow down here!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Back to work
I was told to get some pictures in here. Soon come!
Well, it's Monday and after a day's work, it's back to the garage. It's a 4-day work week due to both Good Friday and Easter Monday being public holidays. The only other time this happens is at Christmas and Boxing day!
For Caymanians, Easter is the time to return to the beach. Staking out of "your spot on the beach" begins the weekend before and the choice areas are quickly roped off and labeled. Most people camp out on the beach over the holiday and have BBQ or other parties and invite friends to come and have a drink or a meal. Some of the camp sites will have fans, TVs, stereos and other comforts from home. Generators run the whole thing.
For those who either don't go or were not quick enough to get a spot, you are always welcome to visit someone's site.
Another favorite pastime over the weekend is shopping or touring another country. Many head off to Miami or Tampa. Others do 5 day tours of Costa Rica, Columbia, Panama or Honduras. Still others go to Jamaica to see their families.
I had a problem with the bike yesterday. When trying to remove the right pedal arm, the tool stripped and just would not do the job. I tried other pullers but no luck. Today at lunch, I quick trip to the store and I have a new remover. The job was completed in 30 seconds.
Tried to make a decision on tires today. I am swaying between 700x28 and 700x35. What is the difference? The 700x28 are a harsher riding because they require more pressure to support a give weight when compared to the 700x35s. This means that a lot of vibration from riding over the rough road is transmitted through the tires, frame and eventually to the rider. This can result in various problems for the rider over a long ride (24hrs or more on the bike)
The 35s will take less pressure and ride softer. The problem is that the 35's available here are junk - cost about $20. I get between 300-600 miles out of them before the casing begins to split and separate due to riding over gravel in the road. I thought the first time it was a fluke but the same problem has happened to me for 4 times now. Enough testing.
Last year, I bought a pair of 700x28 Schwable Marathon Plus to test their resistance to flats and I have had none to date after 1700 miles on them. The ride is rougher than the 35s as expected. Guess I will have to order some good ones and test them. Another item on the shopping list for the US of A!
Well, it's Monday and after a day's work, it's back to the garage. It's a 4-day work week due to both Good Friday and Easter Monday being public holidays. The only other time this happens is at Christmas and Boxing day!
For Caymanians, Easter is the time to return to the beach. Staking out of "your spot on the beach" begins the weekend before and the choice areas are quickly roped off and labeled. Most people camp out on the beach over the holiday and have BBQ or other parties and invite friends to come and have a drink or a meal. Some of the camp sites will have fans, TVs, stereos and other comforts from home. Generators run the whole thing.
For those who either don't go or were not quick enough to get a spot, you are always welcome to visit someone's site.
Another favorite pastime over the weekend is shopping or touring another country. Many head off to Miami or Tampa. Others do 5 day tours of Costa Rica, Columbia, Panama or Honduras. Still others go to Jamaica to see their families.
I had a problem with the bike yesterday. When trying to remove the right pedal arm, the tool stripped and just would not do the job. I tried other pullers but no luck. Today at lunch, I quick trip to the store and I have a new remover. The job was completed in 30 seconds.
Tried to make a decision on tires today. I am swaying between 700x28 and 700x35. What is the difference? The 700x28 are a harsher riding because they require more pressure to support a give weight when compared to the 700x35s. This means that a lot of vibration from riding over the rough road is transmitted through the tires, frame and eventually to the rider. This can result in various problems for the rider over a long ride (24hrs or more on the bike)
The 35s will take less pressure and ride softer. The problem is that the 35's available here are junk - cost about $20. I get between 300-600 miles out of them before the casing begins to split and separate due to riding over gravel in the road. I thought the first time it was a fluke but the same problem has happened to me for 4 times now. Enough testing.
Last year, I bought a pair of 700x28 Schwable Marathon Plus to test their resistance to flats and I have had none to date after 1700 miles on them. The ride is rougher than the 35s as expected. Guess I will have to order some good ones and test them. Another item on the shopping list for the US of A!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Living on Grand Cayman
What is it like in Grand Cayman?
First of all, we are small - 6 miles (10km N/S) and 20 miles (32km E/W) with a population of about 60K. Last time I heard, there was around 135 nationalities represented here. We have a nice climates (low of 70F in "winter" and highs around 90F in summer) with daytime variations of around 10F. Of course, when you are in the sun, it feels lots hotter. We are 500 miles south of Miami, 300 miles west of Jamaica and around 100 miles south of Cuba.
The place is fairly friendly with people still greeting you with good morning/afternoon when they pass. If they have seen you a couple times, they will stop and have a chat. A single woman in a car with a flat will have guys stopping to help her change the tire. Break down and someone will offer you a ride home. Need to borrow phone because yours died, no problem. The basic goodness of people is visible everywhere.
This is not to say that we don't have our share of crimes. Murders are usually drug or other illicit activity related or from relationship problems (caught the guy with my wife/girlfriend sort of thing). There are fights at bars and some car racing but overall, you are safe in the daylight and most nights. You will see single women walking along Seven Mile Beach in their bikinis at night and no one bothers them. Of course, I am not too sure what happens there around midnight or later!
The largest part of the population lives on the western part of Grand Cayman - Bodden Town, Savannah, New Lands, Prospect, George Town and West Bay. The eastern (Frank Sound and East End) and northern districts (Old Man Bay and North Side) have small populations and still retain the quiet tropical island feel.
Most people work in George Town and commute both ways each day. This produces predictable traffic problems that can be dealt with by leaving work a bit early or later in the day. In the mornings, you come in earlier (before 7:30) or after 8:30am.
Socializing take place at bars, restaurants or at home with family. Sundays are big church days with many choices available according to your beliefs.
The pace of life here is a lot slower than more "civilized" places. Things just don't get done in a hurry and you learn to live with it.
Depending on your lifestyle, you can easily end up with a lot of free time on your hands to explore your various interests. Many take up fishing or spending time on the beach. Some do gardening, participate in sports (soccer/football, racquetball, rugby, baseball, golf, tennis to name a few). Others exercise (going to the gym, running, cycling, walking), take up photography, astronomy, bird watching or volunteering at a non-profit organization. You decide what you want to do!
Most people are fairly well off - in a middle to middle upper class kind of way. These will usually take shopping visits to Miami, Tampa or other places in the US and take a break from the island at the same time. Life is good down here for most residents.
The Sister Islands of Cayman Brac (pop. 1200) and Little Cayman (pop. 100) are both around 10 miles long and 1 mile wide. Life is even more relaxed on them and when they visit Cayman, they want to get back to their peace and solitude as fast as possible.
Around 95% of items in Cayman are exported from the US. This ranges from food to cars, clothes and entertainment. You can receive satellite TV and US newspapers on a daily basis. The health system is good and facilities are the same as the US. If in trouble that cannot be handled by the local hospitals, Miami is 1 hour's flight away.
First of all, we are small - 6 miles (10km N/S) and 20 miles (32km E/W) with a population of about 60K. Last time I heard, there was around 135 nationalities represented here. We have a nice climates (low of 70F in "winter" and highs around 90F in summer) with daytime variations of around 10F. Of course, when you are in the sun, it feels lots hotter. We are 500 miles south of Miami, 300 miles west of Jamaica and around 100 miles south of Cuba.
The place is fairly friendly with people still greeting you with good morning/afternoon when they pass. If they have seen you a couple times, they will stop and have a chat. A single woman in a car with a flat will have guys stopping to help her change the tire. Break down and someone will offer you a ride home. Need to borrow phone because yours died, no problem. The basic goodness of people is visible everywhere.
This is not to say that we don't have our share of crimes. Murders are usually drug or other illicit activity related or from relationship problems (caught the guy with my wife/girlfriend sort of thing). There are fights at bars and some car racing but overall, you are safe in the daylight and most nights. You will see single women walking along Seven Mile Beach in their bikinis at night and no one bothers them. Of course, I am not too sure what happens there around midnight or later!
The largest part of the population lives on the western part of Grand Cayman - Bodden Town, Savannah, New Lands, Prospect, George Town and West Bay. The eastern (Frank Sound and East End) and northern districts (Old Man Bay and North Side) have small populations and still retain the quiet tropical island feel.
Most people work in George Town and commute both ways each day. This produces predictable traffic problems that can be dealt with by leaving work a bit early or later in the day. In the mornings, you come in earlier (before 7:30) or after 8:30am.
Socializing take place at bars, restaurants or at home with family. Sundays are big church days with many choices available according to your beliefs.
The pace of life here is a lot slower than more "civilized" places. Things just don't get done in a hurry and you learn to live with it.
Depending on your lifestyle, you can easily end up with a lot of free time on your hands to explore your various interests. Many take up fishing or spending time on the beach. Some do gardening, participate in sports (soccer/football, racquetball, rugby, baseball, golf, tennis to name a few). Others exercise (going to the gym, running, cycling, walking), take up photography, astronomy, bird watching or volunteering at a non-profit organization. You decide what you want to do!
Most people are fairly well off - in a middle to middle upper class kind of way. These will usually take shopping visits to Miami, Tampa or other places in the US and take a break from the island at the same time. Life is good down here for most residents.
The Sister Islands of Cayman Brac (pop. 1200) and Little Cayman (pop. 100) are both around 10 miles long and 1 mile wide. Life is even more relaxed on them and when they visit Cayman, they want to get back to their peace and solitude as fast as possible.
Around 95% of items in Cayman are exported from the US. This ranges from food to cars, clothes and entertainment. You can receive satellite TV and US newspapers on a daily basis. The health system is good and facilities are the same as the US. If in trouble that cannot be handled by the local hospitals, Miami is 1 hour's flight away.
Weekend endeavours
The thought came to me that while I might post a lot at the start, things should be winding down as I get caught up with things.
Today's items are a chicken tractor and a Univega Gran Turismo bike that I am building up.
First the tractor. There are a lot of feral chickens in Cayman. Around the house, on the streets and even at the cruise ship landings. They are searching for food and scratching anywhere they can. every now and then, you will see a mother with 6,8 or even 10 baby chicks following her - newborns. But over a week or two, that number will drop to just a couple. Whether the young'uns are killed by cats and dogs or die from starvation, I do not know.
In doing some research on the web, I can across something called a chicken tractor. It is a movable "chicken coop" that houses chickens and allows then a place to eat, sleep and lay their eggs. Of course, you can now get the eggs as you know where they are! The benefits are free range eggs and even a chicken or two for meat if wanted. It gives you someplace to dispose of you kitchen scraps and you get to play chicken farmer. Almost a win / win situation. The downside is you have to take care of them (they are no longer wandering about) and the tractor should be moved every day - a 30 second job as it is on wheels. Many different plans are available on the net and the building cost was about $100 Cayman for the materials. The hard part is catching the chickens as they run away when you get withing 20 or 30' of them. I'll need to build a trap.
The second item is the bike - it is a buildup I will be modifying over time. The bike is of 1985 vintage and not the oldest one in my collection. It will be built for comfortable and hopefully effortless riding. You see, I have this dream to ride in the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km randonneur in 2011 in less than the maximum allotted time of 90 hours (occurs every 4 years). So I need a nice bike to get riding mileage in. I have read that the finishers usually ride about 10K miles the year before they undertake the challenge. The requirements are to successfully complete 200km in under 13hrs, 300km in 27hrs, 400km in 27hrs, 600km in 40hrs and an optional 1,000 in 75 hrs. The shorter ones are sanctioned rides put on by various clubs around the world. Successful completion of the shorter distances qualifies on try the longer ones and finally to undertake PBP. There are other 1200km rides held in various places in the USA like Colorado and Washington and overseas in Bulgaria and Australia to name a few. So, I will build the bike and then plan on some form of training schedule.
Today's items are a chicken tractor and a Univega Gran Turismo bike that I am building up.
First the tractor. There are a lot of feral chickens in Cayman. Around the house, on the streets and even at the cruise ship landings. They are searching for food and scratching anywhere they can. every now and then, you will see a mother with 6,8 or even 10 baby chicks following her - newborns. But over a week or two, that number will drop to just a couple. Whether the young'uns are killed by cats and dogs or die from starvation, I do not know.
In doing some research on the web, I can across something called a chicken tractor. It is a movable "chicken coop" that houses chickens and allows then a place to eat, sleep and lay their eggs. Of course, you can now get the eggs as you know where they are! The benefits are free range eggs and even a chicken or two for meat if wanted. It gives you someplace to dispose of you kitchen scraps and you get to play chicken farmer. Almost a win / win situation. The downside is you have to take care of them (they are no longer wandering about) and the tractor should be moved every day - a 30 second job as it is on wheels. Many different plans are available on the net and the building cost was about $100 Cayman for the materials. The hard part is catching the chickens as they run away when you get withing 20 or 30' of them. I'll need to build a trap.
The second item is the bike - it is a buildup I will be modifying over time. The bike is of 1985 vintage and not the oldest one in my collection. It will be built for comfortable and hopefully effortless riding. You see, I have this dream to ride in the Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km randonneur in 2011 in less than the maximum allotted time of 90 hours (occurs every 4 years). So I need a nice bike to get riding mileage in. I have read that the finishers usually ride about 10K miles the year before they undertake the challenge. The requirements are to successfully complete 200km in under 13hrs, 300km in 27hrs, 400km in 27hrs, 600km in 40hrs and an optional 1,000 in 75 hrs. The shorter ones are sanctioned rides put on by various clubs around the world. Successful completion of the shorter distances qualifies on try the longer ones and finally to undertake PBP. There are other 1200km rides held in various places in the USA like Colorado and Washington and overseas in Bulgaria and Australia to name a few. So, I will build the bike and then plan on some form of training schedule.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Philosophical Side
This will be a dynamic entry, full of thoughts and questions that come to me. Most I have not answered but who knows what can happen as you spread ideas. I will not get into religion.
The biggest question I have is why do you fall in love with someone you meet. Over your lifetime, you will meet hundreds if not thousands of people - depending on how gregarious one is. Yet, some stay as passing ships, fewer become acquaintances, even less friends and the very few (maybe only one or two), close friends. You might not share the same ideas or goals but the attraction is there. What is it that sets that "got to be together" thing off?
I have spoken to friends, psychologists, doctors, younger and older people but no one has yet given me a reasonable answer.
Second view is that you can have a good friend, but at the same time have to keep away from that friend in order to protect them. Friendship seems to be a give and take thing. Sometimes one has to do things completely contrary to a normal friendship to keep it. Someone will know what I mean!
Humans are capable of absolutely horrendous atrocities on people they know and yet be the willing to sacrifice their life for a stranger.
Love is the most powerful thing in the world. It can make you protect someone with your life but later on, take that life because you care. Think about protecting someone who is in danger of losing their life and later the same person who is suffering from a devastating illness.
One can be surrounded by people, but still lonely!
You can be in love with more than one person at the same time.
Something I hear a lot - I have invested too much time in this to leave/change. Yet, they will waste even more time in it! Hmmm....
A man can never have enough tools - those that know me will say otherwise! :-)
A good friend is worth more than anything!
Do the things you want to while you can. Opportunities are lost that never present themselves again. Of course, be careful and know the consequences of your actions.
The biggest question I have is why do you fall in love with someone you meet. Over your lifetime, you will meet hundreds if not thousands of people - depending on how gregarious one is. Yet, some stay as passing ships, fewer become acquaintances, even less friends and the very few (maybe only one or two), close friends. You might not share the same ideas or goals but the attraction is there. What is it that sets that "got to be together" thing off?
I have spoken to friends, psychologists, doctors, younger and older people but no one has yet given me a reasonable answer.
Second view is that you can have a good friend, but at the same time have to keep away from that friend in order to protect them. Friendship seems to be a give and take thing. Sometimes one has to do things completely contrary to a normal friendship to keep it. Someone will know what I mean!
Humans are capable of absolutely horrendous atrocities on people they know and yet be the willing to sacrifice their life for a stranger.
Love is the most powerful thing in the world. It can make you protect someone with your life but later on, take that life because you care. Think about protecting someone who is in danger of losing their life and later the same person who is suffering from a devastating illness.
One can be surrounded by people, but still lonely!
You can be in love with more than one person at the same time.
Something I hear a lot - I have invested too much time in this to leave/change. Yet, they will waste even more time in it! Hmmm....
A man can never have enough tools - those that know me will say otherwise! :-)
A good friend is worth more than anything!
Do the things you want to while you can. Opportunities are lost that never present themselves again. Of course, be careful and know the consequences of your actions.
The weekend at last
I'm at work late (after hours) typing this out. I managed to run across this site while reading a cycling blog and decided why not. Who knows what this can lead to!
The weekend is here and it's time to forget about work and do a bit of relaxing with the family, afternoon naps and regenerate one's self for the new week to come.
I usually spend a lot of time on Sat catching up on the goings on around the world - looking for good news about the human race, reading newspapers and looking at editorial as well as newspaper comics. I think I will have to make a dynamic entry about my philosophical side of life - what I have learned over these years. Should make for some short reading, eh!
My transportation to and from work is on a bike - and it takes about 30 minutes each way without stops. This is an unusual thing in Cayman where one's status usually revolves around the type of car you drive. I started riding shortly after hurricane Ivan in 2004. Traffic was a mess for about 4 months, with everyone driving to work, to stores than back home again. It would take from 1h 15min to 1hr 30min to go the 6.5 miles from home to work - each way - 5 days a week. There was a girl I knew who rode her bike and she would pass me within a mile of my house and I would not see her again on the road. I asked her one morning where she worked and it was further into town that I did. I asked how long it took her and she said about 1/2 hr. A quick bit of math told me that if I rode, I could have an extra 2 hrs a day to do things I liked. Hmmmm.....
I dug up an old Ompax bike that I had bought in Canada back in 1978 - when I was courting my wife - and had a look at it. It only had 660 miles on the odometer. New tires and tubes, new brake pads and cables, some oil and grease and it was rideable. I did a 7 mile ride around the neighbourhood and I felt fine. The next Monday, I started riding and have been doing it ever since.
I started recording the mileage in 2006. From Mar to Dec, I rode 1117 miles. In 2007, it had increased to 2386. 2008, up to 2860 miles. My aim for 2009 is over 3000. This is mainly home-work-home rides, but last year, I did a 853km ride in southern Ontario and absolutely love it. Details are at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3878&v=EM. I also did a small tour of Grand Cayman and it can be found at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3705&v=3r. I hope to do a 2-3 week tour every year but have not finalised anything for this year (yet)!
That's it for now and check back for more stuff......
The weekend is here and it's time to forget about work and do a bit of relaxing with the family, afternoon naps and regenerate one's self for the new week to come.
I usually spend a lot of time on Sat catching up on the goings on around the world - looking for good news about the human race, reading newspapers and looking at editorial as well as newspaper comics. I think I will have to make a dynamic entry about my philosophical side of life - what I have learned over these years. Should make for some short reading, eh!
My transportation to and from work is on a bike - and it takes about 30 minutes each way without stops. This is an unusual thing in Cayman where one's status usually revolves around the type of car you drive. I started riding shortly after hurricane Ivan in 2004. Traffic was a mess for about 4 months, with everyone driving to work, to stores than back home again. It would take from 1h 15min to 1hr 30min to go the 6.5 miles from home to work - each way - 5 days a week. There was a girl I knew who rode her bike and she would pass me within a mile of my house and I would not see her again on the road. I asked her one morning where she worked and it was further into town that I did. I asked how long it took her and she said about 1/2 hr. A quick bit of math told me that if I rode, I could have an extra 2 hrs a day to do things I liked. Hmmmm.....
I dug up an old Ompax bike that I had bought in Canada back in 1978 - when I was courting my wife - and had a look at it. It only had 660 miles on the odometer. New tires and tubes, new brake pads and cables, some oil and grease and it was rideable. I did a 7 mile ride around the neighbourhood and I felt fine. The next Monday, I started riding and have been doing it ever since.
I started recording the mileage in 2006. From Mar to Dec, I rode 1117 miles. In 2007, it had increased to 2386. 2008, up to 2860 miles. My aim for 2009 is over 3000. This is mainly home-work-home rides, but last year, I did a 853km ride in southern Ontario and absolutely love it. Details are at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3878&v=EM. I also did a small tour of Grand Cayman and it can be found at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=3705&v=3r. I hope to do a 2-3 week tour every year but have not finalised anything for this year (yet)!
That's it for now and check back for more stuff......
Welcome to my blog
Hello Everyone;
This is my little piece of the web where I will chat about various items of interest to me - and hopefully to you too. It will vary a bit and hopefully have moments of brilliance
My interests vary from astronomy, wood working, model engineering, ham radio and electronics, bicycling, photography, renewable energy, gardening and other such DIY items. I just like doing things - however strange they might seem to others. I do find that I wander between interests, so the ham radio will become the main topic when hurricane season is approaching or when I decide to put a portable radio on the bicycle. This leads to something else - modifying things. A bigger engine in the truck, different gearing on the bicycle, improving my emergency power supply, the list goes on and on.
My formal training is in Land Surveying and I work for the Cayman Islands Government as the Senior Geomatician of the Survey Section. Other details are married, 3 kids, pets and a wandering inclination to see what is over the next hill or around the bend.
But enough chatter, lets get on with it.
This is my little piece of the web where I will chat about various items of interest to me - and hopefully to you too. It will vary a bit and hopefully have moments of brilliance
My interests vary from astronomy, wood working, model engineering, ham radio and electronics, bicycling, photography, renewable energy, gardening and other such DIY items. I just like doing things - however strange they might seem to others. I do find that I wander between interests, so the ham radio will become the main topic when hurricane season is approaching or when I decide to put a portable radio on the bicycle. This leads to something else - modifying things. A bigger engine in the truck, different gearing on the bicycle, improving my emergency power supply, the list goes on and on.
My formal training is in Land Surveying and I work for the Cayman Islands Government as the Senior Geomatician of the Survey Section. Other details are married, 3 kids, pets and a wandering inclination to see what is over the next hill or around the bend.
But enough chatter, lets get on with it.
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