April 28, 2009
Sooooo… I thought that moving the boat out of the water and onto dry land would give me some peace and time to work on the boat. There was an expression by George Will, it went something like this… “Aren’t you glad you’re not getting as much government as you’re paying for”… At this point I feel that I’m getting far more government than I have paid for… One of the neighbors complained to the zoning board. And everything in the yard got evicted… including me…
Soooo… I’m now in Saint Augustine. Hopefully this town will be better. I’m in a corner of a very secluded yard of my friend. And… I’m a half hour closer to Panama. The ocean-going barge didn’t make it. I had no place to put her and absolutely no money in her. I cut my loses… literally… Now I have $50 in her through sawzall blades and she is in dumpster sized pieces… I’ll find another along the way. I really need to focus on getting the dive boat ready. It’s so easy to get distracted.
I’ve been working on the dive boat and making good progress. Hopefully, I can have her back in the water in a couple of months. Just in time for hurricane season. I’ve been documenting this conversion project from being a Dodge pickup truck motor to a dive boat motor.
This website is documenting all of the necessary changes and the method for converting a pickup truck cummins 6bt to a marine engine. Also, I have links for parts, and have actually found some manufacturers that will sell to me directly, that I can remarket through the site…
We’ll see how this goes… Oh… by the way, this process also applies to the Cummins 6ct and the Cummins 4bt.
Capn Scott
April 19, 2009
I do enjoy shooting with others… Got an invite to shoot with the J’ville photographers of the Saint Augustine Lighthouse.
Myself and one other decided to get there before sunrise and before the others to get some great night/sunrise shots as well…
stunning at night…
This was shot from in front of the Castillo San Marco, with the lighthouse in the distance.
Another shot of the bay in front of the Castillo San Marco and the entrance to the Atlantic.
Using a polarizer, I bring out the very blue sky.
From the boat ramp a short distance away.
You know me… had to shoot the flowers as well…
Some people made a statement about climbing the stairs. I can’t image what they would have said about the stairway to La Piedra in Colombia.
The fresnel lens. Now this is a serious piece of glass…
Another shot of the lens bending light and exposing the hidden colors.
Looking back down the stairs. This was shot f16, handheld and a quarter of a second exposure.
You can actually see the lighthouse from miles at sea. I’ve used it as a reference before when I had the dive op here in Saint Augustine.
From a distance at sea, this is a navigational aid. It doesn’t mark the present channel, but it does mark the town. From up close, it’s just a wonderful historical work of art.
The top…
Had to shoot the screaming kids… with a camera, of course…
This was a great outing with a great group of happy shooters. This was also my first time to see this close-up. Like the lighthouse (faro) en Colonia, Uruguay, this is a great photographic opportunity. I need to add “aids to navigation” to my repertoire of photography…
Capn Scott
April 10, 2009
Finally got the engine and transmission bolted together.
I removed all of the items that aren’t necessary, pressure washed the motor and taped up the spots that I didn’t want painted. Then bolted up everything and painted the whole thing assembled.
Progress is slow… but it is moving forward…
Capn Scott
April 3, 2009
More progress on the new dive boat…
I have the engine and transmission over at the transmission shop.
We have the transmission torn down into all of it’s pieces. We’ve checked the bearings…
And, we’ve changed the gearing ratio from being a 2 to 1 to a 1.5 to 1. This will give me better power and a more reasonable propellor pitch.
We found 2 plates that needed to be replaced, but everything else was in pretty good shape.
Doesn’t look like much, when you break it down into it’s little pieces. But a good transmission is as important as a good diesel. This is a commercial grade Twin Disc 502-1.
Though, there are alot of tiny pieces involved inside of the box.
The engine is a Cummins 6BT. I’m reconditioning it and marinizing it. More on it later. Time to button up the transmission and finish painting it…
Capn Scott
April 2, 2009
We’ve had a great deal of rain, but even better, a great deal of wildflowers…
These little dudes are about as big as your thumbnail. You cannot see the blue hair or that the yellow tips of the stamins look like miniature flowers themselves. Definitely some macro work…
The trick was not in getting the shots, but in waiting for the wind to die down.
The macros were shot on a cloudy day and the shutter exposure was fairly long for the lens.
These shots are amazing printed at 13″ x 19″ …
I really enjoy shooting flowers, and the local wildflowers are just spectacular. I hope to get out a bit more often on no-wind days and get some more shots…
Capn Scott
March 22, 2009
Got a chance to shoot with a great group of photographers.
I’ve lived in Jacksonville for many years and this is my first time at the zoo. The zoo is across the river from me and daily I hear the train and the monkeys at feeding time.
They also have a great exhibition of many flowering trees and shrubs.
Pink Flamingos… This is Florida…
Some kind of ritual…
The coy in the Japanese Garden…
Stunning Iris in the Japanese Garden.
The new Komodo Dragon exhibition. Now that’s a big lizard…
More beautiful flowers…
Did I say how much I like shooting flowers?
Stunning Japanese Plum…
More and more… there were so many flowers in bloom…
This was a fun group of shooters. Everyone enjoyed themselves and got some great shots.
Capn Scott
March 21, 2009
I pulled the dive boat out this morning. It was a bit earlier (one week) than I wanted, but the situation at the marina prompted this. I’ve finally paid off the new transmission and have the engine over at the shop being connected to it. Then I’ll set up the stringers and line everything up and install them…
The Fleet… the new dive boat and the barge…
Wow… I’m so excited to be at this stage. Getting the engine in, modifying the looks… new paint… Hopefully, in a couple of months, I can put her back in the water and begin working on the barge and getting her ready…
About the situation at the marina…
A week ago, the sheriffs office sent the boats over to the marina and they boarded many of the customers on the dock, with ticket book in hand. I was warned before I got onto the dock about the situation and stayed in the parking lot until they were done. Then, the next day, U.S. Customs and Border patrol came on the dock in force with the drug dogs and did the same. Three days later at 4:30 P.M. the sheriffs office arrived in 5 pickup trucks and entered the dock with ticket books in hand, giving out citations again. I almost got off the dock before I was held for questioning and possible detention in a jail cell… I wasn’t being cooperative enough… Fortunately, my paperwork was unquestionable and they went for bigger game… They then returned at 9:30 PM… for more boardings… and then… They returned at 5AM for another round… At 10:30AM we were graced again with U.S. Customs…..
What the hell happened when I was away in South America??? These officers didn’t knock, ask permission to board, ask questions or anything. They just boarded the boats, opened the doors and walked in unannounced…
Land of the Free??? What happened to our civil liberties? After the ordeal where I almost went to jail, I felt violated… ALL OF MY RIGHTS were violated!!! When did I become a criminal? I sure was treated like one…
Time to return to South/Central America permanently…
Capn Scott
March 13, 2009
I’ve begun to put together a website promoting photography tours and workshops. It will feature some of my favorite places, in which, I will lead photography tours. It will also include others tours and workshops from all around the world.
I’m using a graphical interface and also a calendar interface. Hopefully this will get more people out shooting around the world. This is still a work in progress, and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated…
http://photoworkshoptours.com
Capn Scott
March 8, 2009
Finally got a chance to run down to Saint Augustine early in the morning and get some shots of the old fort that guards the north side of the town.
This is another HDR shot.
Another HDR shot. I used the high dynamic range to pick up a bit of the texture of the walls.
Of course, the sunrise had some pretty spectacular color as well.
Lots of color… This structure is very similar to the fort down in Colonia, Uruguay…
And, the obligatory seascape/marinescape shot from the front…
Capn Scott
February 21, 2009
From out of the mist appeared this lonely ghost boat… Abandoned? Adrift? Haunted???
I’ve been learning some of the old stories about this little craft. The hull is made of cement, about 30 years ago. Not sure who the owner is. It has never left the area… But sounds like a great start to a novel…
This was another one of those mornings that I wake up, relax into the morning… Then the sun shows up… Dressed to the nines. I have so little time to set up and take pics… And, again, it looks like a chinese fire drill in my boat. I’m trying to get dressed as fast as possible, grab my camera gear and get outside to get the shots. The time is so limited when the colors are really golden…
Capn Scott