Edmondson Chopper Testing

(Click thumbnails for larger images)

Write-up coming soon...

Thanks for reading,


B

He's BACK!

Been out all day. Frozen!

Edmondson Chopper review coming soon!

Lots of pics.

Shoulders hurt. Hands all but seized up. Eyes burning. Smell like smoke.

Awesome!

B

Laying Low

I know I owe several of you an email.

We've got germs running through the house. Sarah and I came down with a wicked cold yesterday and Jake and Laura have it as of this morning. My wife is traveling and, so far, remains healthy.

I feel worse today than yesterday and have had about an hour of sleep since yesterday with all the coughing and staring at this computer screen isn't doing my head any favors.

I'll be back to you all soon.

Sorry for the delay.

Thanks for reading,


B

Night Hiking

Last night the Scout Pack went for a night hike.

We met up at Village Hall around 7pm and hiked into the woods for about an hour looking and listening. We had two rules for the boys:

1. Be quiet.
2. No flashlights.

Other than that, it was pretty much anything goes as long as you would stay with your trail buddy.

Of course, so many boys and their parents crunching through the semi-frozen snow meant that we wouldn't hear or see any nighttime wildlife but we could still make out tracks and scat by the light of the moon. Differentiating between dog (pet) and coyote was difficult because of the location alongside the trail but there was definitely some opportunity for tracking with the ground conditions.

It was icy too.

My first step out of the van was on to a sheet of ice and I had to do my best "Happy Feet" impression to keep myself upright. I managed to tweak my back a bit and spent the night last night wishing that I'd done some stretching and warming up prior to exiting the van (even though that would have been more than a little strange.)

I kept asking Jake if he wanted to ditch the rest of the Pack and head deeper into the woods to find a place to shelter overnight and he had NO interest. All he wanted was Subway, a cookie, and a fountain drink. My little outdoorsman. LOL!

Thanks for reading,


B

You Readers are the BEST!

I really enjoy the interaction I've had with you all and continue to enjoy it.

Your comments and emails have me laughing out loud, thinking long and hard about this blog and what it means to me and what I want it to be, and I've even met a few of you and hope to meet more of you as I'm able.

Heck, one day I hope to meet up with Pablo and Sam and the rest of you across the pond.

Thanks for lightening my days.

B

Seems So Long Ago

Even though there's still the smell of woodsmoke in my nose and the burning in my eyes it seems like a lifetime ago that I spent the day outside sitting near the campfire testing the Fehrman Shadow Scout and generally enjoying life.

I need those mental breaks and I don't get very many of them any more.

It's not cabin fever that I'm suffering, it's something similar though. Every glance out the window causes my mind to wander to those experiences in the woods.

The kids are older now and don't want to spend their time learning about nature and how to make the most of your surroundings if they can be sledding or building snowmen. Sarah's still too small to spend much time "out there" with me. That leaves me trying to find the time to get out by myself--no small task I assure you.

The Cub Scouts are scrapping their plans for a game of broom ball tomorrow night and we're now going on a night hike. It's another opportunity for me to teach not only the 11 Tiger Cubs but the other 50 or so boys in the Pack.

I've already loaded my cell phone with animal sounds we'd be likely to encounter in the quiet woods. It'll be anything but quiet out there tomorrow night with 60 boys and their parents but there's still a chance I can call in an owl or two if we're lucky. I want every moment these boys spend in the woods to be memorable.

I've got all the cameras ready to go but don't know what kind of results I'll get shooting at night. My video camera does have night shooting mode an a small LED to improve lighting but I haven't tried it yet.

We'll all see together on Friday how it went. :)

Thanks for reading,


B

Fireside Hot Chocolate

There's just something about hot chocolate you make on the campfire...

We melted snow and then added the hot chocolate powder to the boiling water. Every now and then we'd get a twig or bit of ash in the water but it just added to the flavor and character of the cup.

If it was too hot, we could add a bit of snow. If it was too cold, we'd just put it back on the coals for a minute or two.

I wish I'd had my CanteenShop.com cover though. It would've kept some of that extra stuff out of my cup. :)

Thanks for reading,


B

Fehrman Shadow Scout Testing Write-Up

Okay, the hands are thawed enough to type and the gear has all been cleaned and dried.

I headed out this morning to put the Fehrman Shadow Scout through some tests as I had intended to do last weekend. This time I got it done.

The first thing I did was get a fire started using some prepared tinder and striking a firesteel with the spine of the Shadow Scout (SS.) I really didn't expect that the SS would work because the sharp edges have all been chamfered and/or rounded to remove them but it actually worked great. My tinder gave me some problems but after slowing down a bit and reminding myself to prepare the tinder better it took a spark within just a few strikes and we were off to the races.

I had used the SS to split some sticks to get to the dry inner wood and a few pieces of fatwood. I used these to get the fire going and then quickly moved up to some split red oak I had on the wood pile. I tend to use two methods to split wood down to more useful sizes for this kind of fire. First, I will pound the knife tip into the stick and give a good twist. This will tend to pop the wood along the grain. Second, the baton comes into play.

Both methods can test an edge through some lateral force and the tip first method really tests a knife's tip strength. I actually won't do this test with just any knife. I started doing it for the Fehrman First Strike test and have used it from time to time since then when I think a knife is up to the task.

I carved some fuzz sticks. The knife's edge is almost too polished to really bite into the wood but it did an admirable job once I fine tuned my technique. I had to go to two hands controlling the blade to get nice tight curls but I could easily start those curls with my firesteel. Looking back, part of my difficulty may have stemmed from the fact that I'm carving on seasoned, frozen red oak. That's some hard stuff.

I tried the knife in a variety of grips and found the small guard to be a bit of a hindrance from time to time. While striking the firesteel, it was really poking me in the hand but it was also a real asset during some of the harder testing as it locked the handle into my grip.

I chopped and the SS did a fine job on the frozen wood. It's clearly not in the same class as larger blades like the new Edmondson chopper but it does well for it's size and mass.

Most impressive, like the First Strike, is the condition of the edge after a day of chopping, cutting, slicing, batonning, and driving the knife into the frozen ground. It's spotless. I stropped it on my pant leg and it'll still easily pop hairs from my arm.

It's almost ridiculous.

Thanks for reading,


B

Fehrman Shadow Scout Testing

(Click thumbnails for larger images)

Write-up coming soon...

Thanks for reading,


B

Frozen!

Just got in.

Need to warm up a bit.

Tested the Fehrman Shadow Scout quite a bit today.

Good stuff coming.

B

Trangia Burner Testing

I've often wondered how to effectively plan for stove use during an extended trip. I'll often just make sure I've got plenty of fuel and, when the fuel runs out, I'll switch to natural materials and a fire for cooking.

Yesterday I spent some time in the kitchen doing a little scientific testing to find out just how long a fixed amount of fuel will burn and the results were a bit shocking.

I took the burner from my "user" cookset that was sitting in the laundry room and filled it with one 35mm film canister of denatured alcohol. I lit it with a firesteel and ran a stopwatch and the video camera. That first burn ran 13:42 which would be more than enough to heat up the small pan of water for coffee, tea, or a shave.

Then I got the bright idea to test a cold stove because the burner will more than likely be a bit chilly after being in the pack for an extended period during a hike. Burn time on the cold burner was reduced but I think it might have been attributed to a dirty burner more than the cold brass.


I ran a total of seven tests and still have fuel in the bottle. The last two burners ran 12:31 before going out. That was after cleaning and once the burners returned to room temperature.

I guess what this tells us is that a 35mm canister of fuel will burn around 12 minutes (maybe a little more or a little less) the first time through and slightly less the second.

More than that, knowing that I can get maybe 9 12 minute boils from the included bottle is good to know.

Tomorrow I'll have to see if 12 minutes is actually long enough to bring the larger pot to a boil. If it is, that's 9 meals with a hot drink.

Thanks for reading,


B

Need Your Help (American Bushman Logo)

I need some artwork--specifically a logo.

I'm a creative guy and I can draw but I'm also too hard on myself when it comes to my art and so nothing is ever good enough until I've tweaked it too much. In the case of logo artwork, I'm always trying to put too much in and then it doesn't look good. I try to use too much symbolism and that doesn't look good or doesn't make sense without an explanation. I've been trying to come up with something for three years...

The best one I've seen so far was done by Laura. She drew a bush, gave it a head, arms, and legs and told me that he was a BUSH-man. LOL!

Here's where you come in.

I want one (or more) of you with an artistic bent to help me come up with the artwork I can use on the blog and maybe a knife down the road. (Yes, I'm working on a design with a maker but we're taking our time and doing it right.)

If you want to play please click the link below and send me some art or an idea (or both.)

EMAIL ME

Here's where I answer the question, "What's in it for me?"

If I use your idea or artwork, I'm going to send you your choice of:

1. My user Fallkniven F1, my favorite knife, which has been featured on this blog dozens of times and has been on my side or in my hand for a majority of my adventures.


2. A brand new Laminated VG-10 Fallkniven F1 with Zytel sheath.

Anybody want to play?

Thanks for reading,


B

Edmondson Chopper Is Here!

It's here! The blade I grabbed off of Bladeforums is finally here!

The box arrived via FedEx this morning and was taped up securely. I quickly pulled my Moose (does that sound just so wrong to anybody else?!) and went about "skinning" the box to get at the goodies inside. What I found was an 18" zippered case with a broken zipper. It would only open about 2" and I couldn't get the teeth lined up for the first minute or so to get at the knife inside.

Talk about frustration. Finally I got it fixed. Then I realized that Charlie had put a cork on the tip of the blade to keep it from poking out during transit but it had been jostled loose and the tip of the knife had punctured the zipper pushing the teeth out of alignment. It also looks like the tip has been flattened just a hair but nothing that won't sharpen out the second or third time around.

Anyway, here are the specs:

Hand forged 1095
5/16" thick at the base of the guard tapering to the swedge
8.75" blade length
5 3/8" handle
21 oz. / 592 g
Bocote handle

(Click thumbnails for larger images)

The initial impression is very good. I really like the handle and it reminds me of an axe handle quite a bit. The swells really fill the hand and are right where I'd want them. The extra length is nice too because I'll be able to bring my hand back for extra power when chopping.

The rough forged finish on the blade really strikes a chord for me. I like the pitting and roughness that says "Hand Made" and there is a nice faint hamon on the blade from the heat treat/tempering process. I'm sure the blade will patina nicely as I use it more and more.

Fit and finish on this piece is excellent. There are no gaps or rough spots where there shouldn't be gaps or rough spots. The spine is nicely squared and throws a shower of sparks from my firesteel. The swedge isn't sharp but could be very quickly with a coarse stone. The edge is sharp like an axe and is probably ideal for heavy chopping but I think I'm going to refine it a bit more once I've used it the way Charlie set it up.

Now, I've got to get in touch with a sheathmaker. Got any recommendations? :)

Thanks for reading,


B

Trying Something Old

Something new, something old, or at least something different...

I recently saw a series of videos on YouTube by the owner of The Canteen Shop and it got me thinking about my canteen cup again. I've added it to my Trangia setup, gotten a new canteen and carried it with the stove stand, and I've used it for oatmeal and cereal as well as rice and soups.

The problem is that my canteen cup went missing when I boxed everything up for the basement project. I've been down digging through boxes but it hasn't turned up anywhere yet. So, I decided to get in touch with Rob and get my hands on a new one that I can break in.

The plan is to stack two cups on the canteen (one right side up, the other upside down) for double the cooking/boiling capacity. I think I'm going to attach the handles together with a carabiner and then run some cordage off that carabiner to carry everything Bear Grylls style.

One thing he's got on the site that really interested me is the Heavy Cover Canteen Cup Lid (Click the link for a large image.) It's a heavy plastic lid with a handle that you can use to keep steam in the cup and crud out. I've used a folded up piece of foil in the past but it would only last a handful of uses and then had to be replaced. We'll see how the Heavy Cover lid holds up once it gets here.

Once I have everything together I'll shoot a picture and update this post so you have a better idea of what I'm seeing in my mind's eye. I'll also put the rig together and test my theory about it's usefulness/weight ratio.

Thanks for reading,


B

Happy Birthday Buzz and Woody!

You guys know who you are. :)

Happy Birthday!

B

Late Night Visitors

Yep, it's winter.

It's cold outside and some outsiders have decided to make their presence known to me in the past few nights.

At around 2:30 am Saturday morning I heard quite a bit of noise coming from behind the stove as I burned the midnight oil working on the computer so I turned up the lights. What did I see? Two little eyes staring out from one of the gas burners. What was he doing? He was stealing one of the chicken nuggets I had cooked for the kids and then neglected to clean up.

The thing that impressed me the most was the fact that the mouse in my stove was no bigger than the nugget but he managed to move it off the pan, onto the cooktop, and then across the griddle and into the drip tray beneath my burner. He ran several loops around the drip tray trying to push that nugget into the inside of the oven and eventually succeeded.

I sat here at my computer and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Sure it's gross having a mouse walking all over the surfaces where I make the food that I feed my family but this little guy had some real spirit to take that massive bit of food.

Now, I've got a baby in the house and she's crawling so anything that leaves potentially deadly doo-doo on the floor has to be removed. That meant setting a few traps as I will not allow poison in my house. It's not metabolized by the mouse and, since I throw the bodies outside to feed local scavengers and predatory birds, I don't want those poisons getting into the ecosystem. Trapping is immediate and harmless to those who would use the mice as food.

The thing is, if you see one, you've got more than one.

I've pulled three from that same burner in the past 24 hours.

I did this at the other house and ended up with an owl in the tree just behind the house. I know the mice will be consumed and not wasted and they'll provide some much-needed calories for the animals that would've preyed on the old and sickly deer in the woods that are no longer back there.

Thanks for reading,


B

Moving Kit Around

It's one of those days.

I'm working on tweaking my kit for day hikes, unplanned overnighters, and the miscellaneous campouts I might take. Today's focus is on sustenance.

I picked up these US Military Sustainment Pouches a while back from eBay and use them to carry my Swedish Army Trangia around with a few Clif Bars, some pouches of tuna and rice, and a few pieces of firestarting gear. Today I'm repacking them to include a US Military canteen cup and canteen.

This moves all of my food and water into a single pouch that will carry inside the pack (or in the trunk of the car) and provide me with what I need on a cold day like today. The Trangia has a drink pouch inside which has the fixins for coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

To that, I add a few Clif Bars, a can of soup, and a small box of firestarting gear (i.e. fatwood, WetFire Tinder, matches, lighter, firesteel, cotton balls, etc.) which can be used to get a fire going once/if my fuel runs out.

Keeping the sustainment pouch down inside my bag keeps it warm enough that the canteen won't freeze and it makes sure I have some water for cooking/drinking when I do finally find the time to sit down and enjoy the outdoors. I've had hydration tubes freeze up on me on really cold days and Nalgene bottles freeze shut so having water I can get to that's cold but not frozen is a welcome treat.

Thanks for reading,


B

Test Day

It's time to put the Shadow Scout through its paces.

Even though it's already Noon here it's not too late to get out and put it to work.

I'll have pics and details later.

Thanks for reading,


B

EDIT: A change of plans. The Mrs. had to go in to the office today and I spent the day with my kids and two of the neighborhood kids so no testing got done. Now she's home but I've lost the light so the hopes for video and pics is pretty well shot for today. Maybe I'll test and just take some pictures of the aftermath tomorrow when I've got those two hours or so of daylight.

Fehrman Shadow Scout

As many of you know, I talk to Eric and Andy at Fehrman Knives on a semi-regular basis and I'm constantly bugging them to make me custom variations of their existing knives. Well, guess what? They've done it.

This is their Shadow Scout in a rough finish with their new BLAZE ORANGE SCALES which they'll offer as an upgrade on every knife in the lineup.

After getting my First Strike from them in this rough finish (basically an uncoated blade) I will probably order all future blades from them the same way. It gives them a rustic look while retaining most, if not all, of the performance characteristics I've come to expect. After a good beating they look tough.

This knife and the smaller Peace Maker come in a 3/16" thickness while the larger Survival Series (i.e. Last Chance, First Strike, Final Judgment, and Extreme Judgment) are from the thicker 1/4" stock. They're all 3V and they all cut for a long time while handling the roughest of jobs. I've beaten my thicker models and they keep on ticking. I've never even had to sharpen them. A quick stropping after use is all I've needed so far.

Once I get a chance to use this knife a bit more I'll give you my impressions of it. The handle isn't quite as comfortable, in my opinion, as the Survival Series but once I've had a chance to use it I'll have a much better idea of how it'll handle in the long run.

You can see, this handle is a bit different from traditional handles too so it's a player in the solution to my numb fingers problem and we'll see if that hooked butt end helps with my reduced grip strength.

Thanks for reading,


B

Charlie Edmondson Knife

I snagged a new knife yesterday on Bladeforums from maker Charlie Edmondson. I hope he doesn't mind me using his picture but I don't have the knife in-hand yet and I'm too excited not to post about it.

It's a big chopper hand forged from 1095 and the handle is Bocote.

What really spoke to me was the handle shape. It's different from what I normally use and that big swell at the butt end may be what I'm looking for with the new tingly fingers in my dominant hand. The only way to know for sure is to give it a try.

It didn't come with a sheath so I'm already working with Spen on a design that'll complement this awesome blade.

I suspect you'll see lots more of it going forward and I'll get you the full specs on it as soon as I have it in hand.

Thanks for reading,


B


UPDATE 1/13/2010:
I got the knife today. Holy Moly! Holy Moly!! Holy Moly!!! New pictures and a review coming soon...

The Moose

The Moose has replaced my old red Victorinox Pioneer for the moment. This particular model is from 1972, made by Case Knives, and has Carbon Steel blades. This particular version, the 6275, has a clip and spey blade and both of them are nice and sharp.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for old slipjoints. Sure, I like the high tech locking mechanisms as much as the next knife guy but the traditional gear always can find a place with me. There's something truly timeless in their designs. Plus, if the Moose was good enough to be part of Nessmuk's gear then it's good enough for me.

I think it's pretty funny that a monster knife like the Moose raises fewer eyebrows than some of my smaller Spyderco's or my small Chris Reeve Sebenza would. I guess it's the materials and the overall look that makes it more okay for public use. (I never said I understood the sheep, just that I notice their reaction...)

Anyway, this one gets sharpened on a 4" DMT Coarse stone and finished on a 4" DMT Fine stone. Quick and dirty to put on a serviceable edge that is nice and toothy and handles any day to day cutting chores with ease. This is the knife that defies all other sharpening media for some reason. Maybe the blades are extra hard. All I know is that the diamonds cut and they cut fast and put on an edge I can use all day without touching up. At night, a few seconds through the process and I'm done.

I have used the spine of the spey blade to spark a piece of flint into charcloth on one or two occasions but tend to keep the wear and tear to the edges of the blades if I can help it. It's a neat trick to show off at a campout though.

Thanks for reading,


B

The Inner Wild Man

You've got one, I've got one, everybody's got one. Sometimes he's buried deep inside but he's there.

My inner wild man is sitting right under the surface and he's itching to get out. He's the guy who wants to run into the woods, get dirty, make a shelter and a fire, and get to living using what he knows about his environment, weather, and nature to survive.

The wild man needs few things. Give him a fire and he can make a home. Give him a knife and he can make what he needs. Give him both and get out of his way.

The wild man is primal. He doesn't heed rules and social conventions. He does what he wants when he wants and how he wants. If it doesn't improve his current situation then he neither wants nor needs it.

I sometimes wonder if my fascination with bushcraft and all other aspects of what we call outdoorsmanship isn't my scratching at the surface to let the wild man out.

I like to hunt and fish. It fills my belly.

I like to know the trees and plants around me. It keeps me from eating something that could kill me and gives me an advantage when selecting natural materials to use for a project or simply to eat.

I like fire. It warms me, gives me light, keeps away the things that go bump in the night, and provides me with endless hours of entertainment (so long as I continue to feed it.) It makes my water safe to drink and my food safe to eat.

I like animal tracking. The forest tells a story with every fallen leaf, every animal footprint, and every trickling stream.

I like having a knife on my person at all times. If I didn't have one, I could make one. The knife is one of the most important tools man has invented as it allows me to make other important tools and even shelter.

My wild man dreams. He has different dreams than the rest of society (I think.) He dreams of the solitude that comes from true wilderness. He imagines a life in a simpler time. He dreams of his tools and imagines what he can make next to make his life a bit easier. He dreams of food, fire, and shelter. He dreams of the first hunt, the next hunt, and the last hunt. He dreams of sleeping under the stars.

My wild man likes it where life can be a bit tougher. The cold, heat, humidity, rain, bugs, mud, and more drive him to be stronger and tougher than the rest. He's wild after all...

Real life pushes the wild man deeper and deeper until some folks can't hear their inner wild man at all any more. Mine has lost some of the volume in his voice but I still hear him. He's in there and he wants to come out and play.

I think it's about time to unleash the wild man.

Thanks for reading,


B

Cold Weather Inactivity

Some days it feels like we just hole up and wait out the weather.

I can definitely feel the difference so far this winter. I'm just not going out as much and that means I'm moving less and "storing more energy" around my midsection. Yeah, that means my jeans fit a bit tighter these days...

I made it out for a bit the other day but it was so brutally cold that it made breathing difficult--not ideal conditions to encourage a bit of aerobic effort.

Sarah, on the other hand, is moving more every day. She's crawling like a maniac, pulling up on everything, and now she's taking the occasional spill while trying to stand on her own. Her weight dropped at her last checkup but it's to be expected since her activity level has gone way up and she didn't weigh that much to begin with. She's started toying with the idea of climbing the stairs too.

Vacation's over today so maybe a slight sense of normalcy will return to our household and I can start to put together a bit of a routine to shake off the blahs.

Thanks for reading,


B

Cold Hike

I went out for a hike yesterday. It was 5° before the wind chill was factored in.

There have been several reports of coyote activity lately (mating season is coming up SOON) here in the neighborhood and I wanted to go out and see how much of an impact the deer management program might have had on the food supply for the local 'yotes and if they were going to become a nuisance so close to families and their pets. If they are, I'm going to have to reintroduce the fear of humans into the pack to keep them from getting themselves into harm's way.

What I noticed after my first misstep was that the coyotes have a seemingly innate ability to avoid the ice that's too thin. I would follow a track and watch it arc around something I couldn't see through the snow and if I cut the arc through the middle I would invariably fall through the ice. Fortunately for me, the water is inches deep instead of feet.

I was going to take more pictures but the camera battery was having a hard time keeping warm even in my shirt pocket. I'm thinking it's got to be buried deeper in the layers next time. That will make it much less convenient to get out and shoot but it will be more likely to fire when I need it.

I had a new knife on my belt from James Noble of the UK but didn't have an opportunity to cut anything as my hike didn't last very long. It's been seeing lots of use around the house and I'll do a proper write-up on it soon with pictures as received and pictures now that it's taken on quite a bit of color from use in the kitchen and in the woods.

Thanks for reading,


B

I've Had a Dream

And it's the recurring kind.

I've had it twice in recent memory and it played out exactly the same way both times.

It's about a firesteel.

(Yeah, maybe I've got a bit of a problem.) :)

Here's the scenario:

I've got one of those monstrous non-Light My Fire firesteels and it's cold and snowy. My hands are frozen. I need fire quickly to stave off hypothermia. I scrape and scrape and scrape some more and can't get a spark. I scrape the firesteel so much that I wear through the firesteel and into a filler material in the center. It looks like Rice Krispies of all things.

I keep scraping around the rod and just can't get a spark. I get long curls of material but nothing that's going to set my tinder alight.

Then the material in the center falls out onto the ground.

Then I wake up as perplexed as ever...


What makes this dream especially strange is the fact that I have had exactly one firesteel from the many I've purchased at Going Gear or Firesteel.com that has given me a problem. It's one of the 1/2" diameter models and it sparked well for the first 20 strikes or so and now I seem to be in a vein of very soft material that only comes off in curls. Turning the rod and striking it again gives me sparks until I get through that outer "layer" of sparking material. I haven't used it extensively enough to know how far in the layer of softer stuff goes but I've had a few attempts at firestarting with that particular rod fail and I've had to resort to other means. One was only a few days ago so maybe that prompted the dream again.

I have a 1/2" X 6" rod from the same source that I used all summer to light my charcoal grill so I simply cannot lump all non-LMF firesteels into the same category. I think this one rod may be a dud but I've been happy with the rest.

I'm sure having gear-related dreams is a sign of something. I just don't have the foggiest idea what it might signify.

Thanks for reading,


B

Happy New Year!

2010 already...

Where did 2009 go?

Time for some resolutions?

Nah. I'm going to plot the same course. I hope to post more and get out more in 2010 which shouldn't be too difficult compared to 2009.

Many more gear reviews are in the works but I want to do them properly and finding the time and the proper lighting to shoot some pictures has proven difficult.

Skills videos have had the same difficulty. I can't seem to coordinate the best lighting situations with my schedule and shooting with this video camera in less than ideal conditions has proven to severely diminish the quality of the footage.

Fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and classes...those are all on my agenda for 2010 as they have been for the past several years.

Let's see how much we can squeeze into this coming year shall we?

Thanks for reading,


B