Ideal Farms, a Camera, and “The Part”

So, we’re still here!

          The visit to Freightliner Memorial Hospital was relatively successful.

          All the new parts were installed, the Official SCR Test for this equipment was run successfully…. Three times! So, all seemed ok.

          I say relatively because on the way back to Yetter’s Deluxe RV Park and Resort a Check Engine light came on.

          Boo!

          But…. all the big, bad, scrolling messages did not pop up on the dash like last time! I hopped into the Lifeboat and went back over to Campbells Supply (that’s the official name of the truck repair) and went to see my Service Guy, Bob. He had Brett, our technician and new best friend, hop in his truck and make a house call  😊.

          After hooking up his computer and spending some time underneath, Brett was able to get the light off, but we may still need to fine tune something. That something still needs to be determined so Brett asked us to run the motor a few times over the weekend to see if we could get the Check Engine light to come back on.

          So far it has NOT returned!

          And the suspense is killing us!

          In the meantime, I went over to Ideal Farms across the street from the (former) Chatterbox. Jan and Ben Jorritsma run one of the finest Farm Stand/ Farm Themed attractions in the area. When were still at the Chatterbox it was as though, at times, our businesses were one and the same, especially on “Pumpkin Picking” and “Christmas Tree Cutting” weekends. The cooperation between us was seamless and quite rewarding for both enterprises.

          It is that kind of interaction that I miss most after the Chatterbox went to that Big Burger Joint in the Sky. It is always a treat to go visit them and we have, on occasion, parked over there and transformed them into another RV Resort!

          So, I have procured a new camera, a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex). These digitals are based on all of the same principals as any of the old 35MM cameras that we used to load film into, adjust our settings, and click away. You all know how much I love my Samsung phone camera. Everything that you have seen so far in the blog has been taken with it and I will still carry it with me. But I have been itching to get back into proper photography for a while and I have seen more and more folks using DSLR’s, especially for National Parks and landscapes. I used to have a darkroom in my basement, and I was the Photography Editor in both High School and College for the year books and newspapers, so my background is fairly solid.

          For the most part.

          But….

          This digital thing is crazy!

          There are no less than 14 gazillion possible settings when it come to these cameras and then the further processing in an Adobe product called Light Room (I get it!). I’ve embarked on this venture because I felt that there were still some nuances of photography that I was missing with my phone camera with both its abilities and drawbacks factored in. Not many, but maybe enough to warrant all this new paraphernalia (camera, computer, and software.)

          I hope to use all of this to great advantage when we’re on the (hopefully) upcoming World Cruise in January.

          We shall see, and so shall you, because I will be doing this blog deal from the ship, all the way around. Apparently the newer internet connections (on at least the Princess Lines) are quite good! Only time will tell.

          So, getting back to Ideal Farms.

          I went over there yesterday to do a photo shoot and practice a little with the camera and all those settings,. The weather was really good, and the lighting was great. Here are some of the “fruits” (you’ll see!) of that shoot.

          The place is great, so if you and your family are looking for the perfect place to go, spend some time, go on a hayride to “Pumpkin Hollow” and come home not only with some Fall decorations, but also with some great memories, I can suggest no better place than Ideal Farms.

          Say Hi to Ben and Jan, just tell them, “Donny sent me!”