I have a few moments to gather my thoughts while the Mrs and son warp off to do some food shopping. Here's a line or two in anticipation of our impending weekend gathering here in the UK...
I've stacked everything that I want to take along on the patio, and it's dawning on me that it isn't all going to fit. Oh yes it is. Somehow. It must. I have to leave a space big enough for....? How many boxes? Flight cases? will there be to squeeze in when we drop by Pentax UK later on tonight. Someone rang me this morning - Valerie? Asked if I was the one coming along to pick up 'all this gear'. Yes, I replied. In person? Yes. There's some paperwork, make sure you sign it all 'out', and get the security guard to sign for it on its return on Sunday. What's the name of the company you represent? (Hasn't John Dickins mentioned what we are??) Er, just put 'PDML'. She probably thinks we're a multi-national conglomerate advertising agency or something. Hang on - we're a ramshackle group of wayfarers from all over, most have never met in person, we're...penpals? Sort of. Too long to explain this. Put 'PDML' I tell her and be done with it. After the call, I have a nightmare vision of the security guard asking me for some ID. He will expect my corporate PDML card of course. Oh dear. Good thing she didn't ask me what PDML stands for. Pan Dynamic Mothball Lovers. Pre-Disposed Men Linger. Pee'd Down My Leg. Packed my own gear: leaving not much behind. NiCads charged up, including the LX drive. That really is a beautiful camera - handling it is pure joy. I debate whether to bring the 85mil f 1.4, it's really up for sale. Wouldn't do to dent it this weekend. But it's too good to leave out. I pack it, after all it doesn't *have* to get used. Does it? Wait - what will I be photographing? Aeroplanes. I suppose. I'm not really into that. People. What we need are some decent shots of people - our people - enjoying themselves. Got to get to know them, get to know a bit of their characters, a bit of the real 'them'. Try and capture that. I like that - I shall try and do that. I'll be better at it than swing around on the end of a 600 mm f/4. For God's sake, *f/4* !! I've packed all the film I have, including some 120 which folk can try out in the MF gear. What does a 645N2 look like? Will I be tempted? I don't need the quality. I want the faces - the characters. If nobody uses the 67 monster, I've got a great idea for a shot. Mustn't tell now, hilk hilk. Rang Amateur Photographer on a whim this morning. Spoke to Damien Demoulder - he wrote to the list for a day or two about, what was it? Quality issues?? Can't remember. I told him of the weekend. He was interested. I am to send him a CD with a dozen shots on it, and a few hundred words of copy after the weekend. They might shore up a hole in the news pages I suspect. Better than nothing, and hey - it's the 21st century. People meet this way now. Cooool. Soon be time to pack up all the gear. Got some cheapo deck chairs, a ground sheet. Has John Dickins remembered to throw in a banner? God only knows. Should I print off a sheet with PDML on it? What - A4 size? Ridiculous, nobody would see that. I've left my number - they can ring me if they can't find Base Camp. I've had some text messages already! Mike Wilson is in Russia, and *texted* me. Wicked. Jostein did also. This should be fun. I'm so looking forward to it. I remember last year, and the year before, lurking, and reading of Grandfather Mountain, and how folks would be 'heading on up there soon'. It was great to read about it, and then to see the pics - I *wanted* to go there, desperately. I wanted to be a part of that. Damn - I just smashed my knee on the scanner shelf under the desk in my hurry to rush outside and see what that clatter was. I just caught sight of three single-engined planes, formated, heading due east. The direction of Cambridge! How exciting. They weren't Spits - I know exactly what they sound like. They were much smaller. We often get aircraft in transit across the country flying over us - there's a corridor around Brize Norton [an RAF airbase] that they use. A few times I have seen *the* Lancaster bomber. There's only one flying, and that's it. A few times I've seen a Spitfire. There's a DC-3 I've seen loads of times. Must do every single show on the circuit, that one. I've never [still] photographed aircraft in flight. I will try it, manual focus though. Wait - there's an MZ-S in the loan gear. I'll sneak a roll through it if I can. I'm getting into the mood now, the blahs are receding. Just a few hours to go. Time for another cup of tea. Earl Grey. Hot. ;-) Cotty _______________________________________________________ Personal email traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] MacAds traffic to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Check out the UK Macintosh ads http://www.macads.co.uk - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
