Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO200 “Short Trail” Cedar Park, 2020
I had fun today at lunch exploring a little trail that runs behind our house. We have what’s known as a “green belt” in our neighborhood, which is a bit of wooded area, and when the kids were little, we explored it a bit looking for a geocache. At that time, the trail didn’t extend very far back, but now it actually connects to the street on the other side of the neighborhood, although you have to kind of know where the entry/exit point is because it’s not marked or anything. It’s kind of a neat, hidden little part of the neighborhood.
Photo info: motorola moto g(6), 3.95mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO125 “Kiki” Cedar Park, 2020
My BMW F650GS “Kiki” is back home! I had to get the fuel pump replaced, and the fuel system cleaned which took a few months, but she’s back. I went for a little spin and I really need to perform a bit of maintenance on her. Specifically some new brake fluid! The brakes feel a bit spongy, which isn’t a good thing. And then I should probably do an oil change while I’m at it. And clean/lube the chain. But those things are pretty fun to do, actually. Gotta give Kiki a bit of love! 😘
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.2, 1/35 sec, ISO3200 “On Snare” Cedar Park, 2020
Tonight we went to the stadium to watch Koa perform in the marching band for the band parents. Due to the COVID-19 situation, the marching band competitive season and all travel was cancelled, but they still were able to rehearse (both virtually and socially-distanced in-person) and perform at a few home-field football games. The show was redesigned to keep space between each band member, although I have to say there were a few moments were it got closer than 6 feet. But still, it was nothing like past shows, which was appreciated. All students wore masks, the wind and brass instruments had coverings, and many of the kids also wore face shields. Happily, we haven’t heard of any band kids nor band staff testing positive for COVID-19.
New this year, Koa switched instruments from marimba to snare. This meant he was actually marching in the field instead of just up in the front ensemble. I think he really enjoyed it. He was also a drumline captain! Yay, Koa!
The photo above was taken through my binoculars in case you were wondering. I don’t have a long telephoto lens, so this will have to do. 😆
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO640 “Marching Band” Cedar Park, 2020
You can watch the show below:
The angle of the camera makes the crowd appear packed, but actually the seats were marked off with tape so that groups would be kept apart at a safe distance, and masks were required. I was reluctant to let Koa return to marching band this year (many of the students attended 100% virtually), but after seeing a few of the rehearsals, I was more comfortable with how seriously everyone was taking it. And Koa has some pretty sweet tan-lines on his cheeks from wearing his mask! 😄
Normally we attend several of the football games to see the band perform but this year we only saw the show once. Hopefully next year the pandemic situation will be over and Koa can enjoy a normal senior year performing at more games and competitive events.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.5, 1/60 sec, ISO800 “Cherry Vanilla” Cedar Park, 2020
For several years I’ve been mentioning to my family how I used to always order Cherry Vanilla ice cream as a kid when we went to the Thrifty drug store. Since I have not been able to find it anywhere we have looked (and I do always check), they doubted that the flavor even existed and insisted that I must be making it up or imagining it. They even suggested that I should just have Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, which is NOT THE SAME THING! Cherry Vanilla is simply vanilla ice cream with Maraschino cherries added… perhaps too simple a thing for today’s world.
Well, at a recent trip to HEB with Koa, I spotted the holy grail… Cherry Vanilla ice cream! Frankly, I was a bit stunned. And when I showed Koa, he was also in disbelief. 😃 With a huge smile on my face, I quickly put a container in the cart, snapped a photo and sent it to Bay and Mariko. At long last, I felt as though I had been vindicated.
The ice-cream was exactly as I remembered: simple and delicious. The brand (Blue Bell) might be different, and it’s not the fanciest of flavors, but it brings back good memories of getting 10-cent scoops from Thrifty as a child, which is special. 🍦
But the story isn’t over yet because there is a second flavor of ice cream that I am still searching for: Lemon Chiffon. Someday…
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My camera & photos
I use a Fujifilm X-series camera for most of the photos on this site and my Instagram. Why not pick one up for yourself?
