Still around, mind

Hi ya, all you old friends of this tiny little blog. I know it's been way too long, but all sorts of things like life and stuff came in the way and might as well do the same thing at some point in the future for all we know. Just don't delete me off your reading lists and you'll probably find a few words and a snap or three coming through every now and then. 

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!