You might have thought that little "Hi ya" up there sounded like a very overseas way to greet you all? Actually that was the plan mind you, but only because I'm actually o'er there. Or actually right here as it happens. In the US of A that is.
Been here for some time now actually, but soon to move back down south to Brazil if we are to believe what's being told about the further plans (better known as rumors...) and all that.
But first I'm going to finish off this trip here in US waters, and then I'm going home for a few weeks before joining the ship again down south somewhere. Rio de Janeiro, most likely.
You know for sure you must be quite some distance away from old Norway when there's more than one railway track going in the same general direction...
Pentax Spotmatic, 50mm f /1.7 Ilford PAN 400
Galveston, TX
America is great of course, as we all know from before and also are being reminded quite often these days. Lots of space indeed, and else seems to me to be just like it used to be back in the days I was here the last time about 12 years ago, or something like that.
It would probably feel even bigger if I was able to move around on my own a bit more, but I'm rather stuck at one single place, as you usually are when being placed to work on board a ship.
Anyway, I managed to get hold of a few rolls of that legendary B&W film they have made for quite a while over here. It was not cheap though, if that might ease your minds a bit. It didn't work any better than it used to do either. None of the pictures shown today are shot on that sort of lovely emulsion, just to have that mentioned straight away. I think it's all Ilford PAN 400 to be honest. I will of course show you a few master pieces snapped on Tri-X at some point when I got something ready for you.
You see we got ourselves a darkroom on board the ship these days. Well, only for developing film of course, since else we would be forced to invent a gyro stabilized enlarger to be able to print on paper on board the vessel. Could be done, of course... but I'm not sure what my employer would say about that to be honest. I think we should just be happy that we're actually able to do film, and leave the other matter be.
It started last trip when the third engineer brought his Paterson tank and some C-41 chemicals on board. We soon found it to be a good idea that he left his tank on board, and also try to get some more chemicals on board as well for this trip. So he brought some E-6 chemicals, and I brought a few different B&W developers. This trip we have developed all three sorts of films with no obvious failures so far.
Sounds nice, huh?
From just south and east of Pier 39 in Galveston. A facility for shipping out grain has been built here some time ago. I guess they still use it, but not on the day I was there and made this snap.
Pentax Spotmatic, Ilford PAN 400
Galveston, TX
Nothing much else is new I guess, besides I got a few new cameras of course. Just old scruffy things with bad lenses, sticky shutters and no working light meters of course, so nothing to jump through the roof about. The "new" Spotmatic is a great one though, if I should mention only one of them newcomers. Lovely old thing, but the light meter is dead on that one as well.
I'm also borrowing a Pentax 67 from the Third Engineer right now, so that's probably the best thing for the moment. Huge, bulky, heavy and absolutely lovely brick of metal with a lens and a shutter. Or two lenses, to tell the truth. You might see a few scans later on when I get home and hopefully still own a working computer. Seems like this one is getting closer to it's end of lifetime these days, but we will see. I can do nothing but knock the woods and say a few words over it every time I start up the old thing. It's from around 2010 after all... a dinosaur these days, I know.
I don't know, to be honest...! Probably somewhere up between Galveston and Houston, TX. Somewhere on the highway due west of Texas City or something like that, I guess. Thought I'd just try a shot in the blind more or less. I'm glad I did.
Still with the Pentax Spotmatic. Same lens and same old film as above.
That'll be all for now. No great stories from America yet folks, but I'll try to put something together for the next post. Hopefully it's not going to take a year or so to put that one together.
See ya!
Good to know you're still out there! Through the magic of RSS we'll all be here whenever you post.
SvarSlettThanks, Jim! It's good to get confirmation that technology is working it's magics and that you can see the posts whenever they get through.
SlettI'm over in the good old US of A at the moment, and I like it this time as well. It has not changed much since the last time I was here, as long as you don't count the airport in New Orleans. That one has changed for the better, so that's OK :)
Great to have you back, Roy. You’ve been missed for those snaps & words.
SvarSlettWhen I look at a Spotmatic I’m instantly transported back to the late 70s. Brother had one for a while. After his Contax RTS...yeh I know, strange journey he was on. Asahi Pentax sounded so exotic. And it was Honeywell before that I think but I could be wrong - it has been known ;)
Not that it matter much, but I thought both Honeywell and Asahi was going on simultaneously? But then again, I'm most likely wrong as well.
SlettAccording to my father it had to be the Asahi version... that was the exotic one, and it looked a lot better saying Asahi on top, instead of the too long and complex Honeywell wording. Deeply thought through thoughts had to be made before buying, as we understand :)
And heck I forgot to say you have some sort of floating developing tank now, eh? And in between times it’s used to lay undersea cables & less important stuff too. Nice. Good work. 👍
SvarSlettLuckily engines run by themselves most of the time, Michael :))
SlettWell, when working like this and living on top of your working place more than half of your lifetime, you will need something to deal with in your time off shift as well. Sometimes the borders between time off and time on can be a bit vague as well, as for example when just sitting idle in the engine control room at work, but still with nothing to do other than keeping your eyes open and be there just because somebody with the right papers needs to be there... A great time to dunk some sort of film into a Paterson tank and give it a few good rounds in some developer we thinks.
I'm probably not the old style of chief... I realize that. But the lads are working well though, and with no hesitation, so I might have done something right at some point? At least I like to think I might have :)