You can see it in the lower right hand corner of the image above. The new hotel was a good excuse to grab a camera and a lens and head downtown to take some walking around shots. I used the Nikon D610 with that old 25-50mm f4 ais lens I've been telling you about. Sometimes the images I get from the lens are crappy and sometimes I think they are sublime (I suspect it depends on my mood). Today I took about 80 images and liked----- 1.
But part of getting out and walking downtown is the act of moving away from the screens in the office and letting my eyes wander around at things that are near infinity, or at least further away than three and a half feet. I think that's good for your eyes over time.
The camera meters the older lens flawlessly and the focus indicator dot works well. It probably works well because I use the lens a its wider end and I generally keep it stopped down to f5.6. Just tossing the whole process a couple of marshmallows...
We now have about 50 billion hotel rooms coming on line in Austin. They say we're recession proof and I sure hope so but I remember being lectured to by the same sort of economists and chamber of commerce cheerleaders about our "bullet proof" economy twice before and both times we ended up with a bleak recession and an exodus of families, money and investors. Maybe this time it will be different....
Hope you had a respite from winter weather if you are living in the north. It hit 55 (f) here in Austin today and while we're supposed to have a cold night I guess it's all relative. We might get down to 32 (f) but tomorrow afternoon we're supposed to nudge up toward the 70's. Good time to visit here if you live in Boston or thereabouts... We'll keep the coffee ready.
Almost forgot....with the exception of several bars the size of football fields the JW Marriott is pretty unremarkable and some of the art in the public spaces is highly questionable. Acoustic tile ceilings in the ballrooms----really?? Hmmm.
It got up to about 14° here in NNY Kirk. After the last week or so that felt downright balmy. Did you see that Ithaca NY's tourism site suggested people go to Key West instead? I hope the winter coat you got for Ben is a really warm one.
ReplyDelete50 million rooms??? The whole of the UK could come visit.
ReplyDelete*Whistles*
Mark
I always think these "looking up" shots of skyscrapers are "looking" down shots from space, especially when there are high clouds in the shot. Those glass towers look like solar panels on some giant spacecraft high above earth ... at least that's what I see.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim, Ben's main coat is a Bogner Ski Coat. He tosses layers of down on under that. I check in with him once a week and he tells me it's toasty warm. He has learned to appreciate the insulated North Face boots and the comfort of wool socks. Wool socks weren't even on the radar down here but now even I am wearing (and loving them). Might never go back to cotton.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing he's come to appreciate is a "neck gaiter" that he can pull up to cover the bottom half of his face.
One more thing: He now appreciates that mittens are much better at keeping fingers warm but that gloves+mittens are even better.
Mark, I think the entire UK did come visit during the first Formula One a couple of years ago...
ReplyDeleteGuess you'll have to break out the old Linhof 4x5 and put some tilt in there to get the perspective :)
ReplyDeleteDave....What Tilt???
ReplyDeletewalked downtown today. 62 and loving it.
ReplyDeleteRecession proof ?
ReplyDeleteThere is only layers.
Palm Beach and Boca Raton held out for quite some time but even those locations started to have businesses decay.