Hot Tub Time

It's the end of April but the weather didn't get the memo. It's 1:10 pm and the outside temperature is just 11°C (52°F) and drizzly. 

Our building has two residential towers with a covered swimming pool and hot tub between them. We're right next to the Columbia SkyTrain Station with a tunnel opening by our property. However, I snapped this photo, so you could see the edge of the pool facilities along the left side of the image.

 

The hot tub is where I head on a morning such as this one.  I brought down the DJI NEO drone with me today.  Because the mini drone doesn't require a GPS lock, it can be used indoors.  I'm am not experienced and competent with the device yet.  So, I am doing little practice sessions whenever I find the time.  

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS IMAGES OF ME IN A BATHING SUIT.

Today's clip is a mere 34 seconds.

Easter Monday

Although Easter Monday is a statutory holiday in Canada, I find that I have every single day of the week free.  Mostly government offices and schools were not open, I think.  I did walk down Columbia Street this morning for a bit of exercise.  It still feels pretty damned cold.  The chilly wind was blowing up the river.  I have heard that things may warm up later in the week and it might get up to 20°C or 68°F.  

I ducked into the Thrift Store and looked around.  I nearly found nothing of interest.  Then, I noticed a baseball type cap.  Jay likes the ones without the adjustable strap on the back.  He's bald and they usually chafe and leave a mark.  The hat didn't look as though it had ever been worn, so I picked it up for CA$2.99.  Oh, actually it was CA$2.69 because the clerk automatically added my senior discount.  I'm not really sure how I feel about that.  I used to be asked but now sales people just assume!  LOL

Later in the afternoon, the Amazon guy bought a small case for my new DJI NEO drone.  It was a few days late but at least it got here.

I put the two photos above to represent the day, but I realize I didn't continue talking about the cap.  The size was marked as S/M so I thought it'd fit Jay.  However, it was too large and ended up fitting me.  I didn't have a mannequin nearby.  I had to put it somewhere to take a photo of it too.  I don't do selfies but I needed a place and my head was handy.  The company is a Swiss watch company that still makes mechanical watches only, I discovered.

A 4K Walk in the Park

Day 093: We've only a few days left in Cape Town. For a little morning exercise we returned to The Company's Garden to see all the folks enjoying the sunshine and warm breezes.  The temperature was about 22°C but on its way up to 26° later today.  The backdrop to summer was all the sounds of the birds and kids playing.  How nice!

   

My new drone is so small, I tucked it into my hat for protection and carried it in a bag. The park had many more people than I'd anticipated. However, I whipped it out of the bag and set it on my hand for take off with 'follow me' set to my height. I ran enough for a thirty second clip. I palm landed it but had to extend my reach rather than expecting it to come to my outstretched hand.  Once I get used to the DJI NEO, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with it.

 

Jay and I stopped for bananas on the way back to the Airbnb.  The total outing was only about 4.5 kilometers but a great way to spend some time!

Now a New NEO

Day 86:  I suggested we go for a walk today, so I could find and pick up a new drone.  We headed to an Apple reseller which is less than a kilometer from our Airbnb. We walked a longer route going than when returning. Yet, I had my intended purchase in hand when we got back.

I do a lot of research before a purchase but eventually decided to go ahead with the purchase of a DJI NEO Combo Pack. My original DJI Mavic Mini of five years has now been officially replaced!  Although the old device still works as well as it did when new, it is not with me. That drone is light enough to easily take along but it is a bit too much of a hassle to use. It requires a few minutes to get ready and set up.  This makes it less useful as a travel drone. Although it shoots video, I snapped photos almost exclusively from altitudes impossible otherwise.

I am looking forward to get to know the NEO as it can practically fit in a jacket pocket. The camera isn't much of an upgrade and the gimbal is less sophisticated. A battery only allows for 15 minutes of flight. Yet it has other features I want. As well as using the traditional controller and phone app, it can fly with a number of pre-set modes right from the palm of one's hand. It'll follow its user around autonomously. I hope to practice using video and uploading clips to YouTube and other social media.

After lunch I had the battery and the two spares, the controller, and the NEO charged up.  I downloaded the new firmware and let it follow me around the living room a bit.  In the days ahead, I plan to learn and practice a lot.

I Could Pick One Up in Cape Town!

DAY 078:  It may be time to purchase a replacement drone for my aging DJI Mavic Mini.  I got an original in 2020 and it still works great.  It is the largest drone one can operate without having a drone license.  I took the Canadian flight test and do have a pilot license.  It's fun but I seldom bring it along when we travel anymore.  Over the last five years the world of drones has changed.  If I were to replace mine with the newest version 4, it'd be a much more competent device.  However, that is not what I'm keen on doing.  

Now, DJI offers several new, small models and one is only half of the weight of my Mini.  The DJI Neo weighs in at just 135 grams.  It is a great deal lighter but more flexible than my present drone.  I like that it can be hand launched and doesn't require as much 'set-up time' to get in the air.

I used my Mavic Mini primarily for photographs and I never really took the time to learn how to shoot and edit video.  If I get a Neo, I might actually want to use it more often and try my hand at dronie selfies.

The following three pictures were taken with my Mavic Mini.  The top was taken at the edge of Queen's Park at home in New Westminster, BC in 2020.  The second was during a winter in Sri Lanka.  We took a trip to the east coast town of Trincomalee in January 2022.  The final one was during a a stay in Mazatlán, Mexico from our Airbnb in March 2021.

Enjoying the Summer Weather

I'm Dennis and the author of this multi-decades-long blog.  We're currently home in New Westminster, British Columbia. It's our 29th summer living in BC's first capital city.  Summer is our favourite season along the Pacific coast.  Even if we leave for five months a year, we are sure to be found here during the current season. We live in the taller of the two downtown buildings in the center of the drone picture below.

Two days ago, I mentioned a city park on the Fraser River here. I included a shot of Westminster Pier Park from our balcony.  Today, the weather is fine and I decided to dust off my old Mavic Mini drone.  I crossed the road to the park.  It was a great day to charge the batteries and take it out for a spin.

I snapped twenty photos from relatively low heights and have included half of them. They show why we like summer here so much!

A Great Day for a Bit of Flying

I don't think the temperature reached 20°C (69°F) but it was the first day since getting back from Sri Lanka a month ago that I didn't feel cold when outside.  I knew it'd be a perfect chance to dust off my old drone.  I have an original DJI Mavic Mini.  I think the fourth version is selling now but I got mine four years ago.  I've only flown it for a total of 32 kilometers.   

My flight records show I haven't flown since last summer.  I didn't bring along the drone this winter but have several times in the past.  I wondered if I'd remember which buttons did what.  I strapped my Pixel 7 Pro into the controller and took off.  I'm happy to report that flying a drone is somewhat like riding a bicycle in that one never really forgets.

I walked down to the end of our street in New Westminster.  Carnarvon Street ends near access to Albert Crescent Park.  The photo above is a selfie.

The images below show the grassy area between the SkyTrain suspension bridge and the original Pattullo Bridge built in 1937.  You can see the current construction on its replacement structure that will cross the Fraser River.  This month the main thoroughfare through downtown is closed because of the work on the New Westminster side onramps.

It did prove to be an excellent morning to fly.  The final photo was snapped by the drone at an elevation of around 45 meters (150 feet).

Tipperary Park, New Westminster

This morning, I drove uptown.  I ordered three enlargements at London Drugs. They are duplicates of the first image I used in my blog post the other day. I paid for the original image from the onboard photographer on the ms Volendam.  I decided to gift these to the fellows who were on our recent Alaskan cruise. 

It's been so long since I did a photo order that I went to see how the fiberboard backing and lamination actually looked.  Sometimes it's best to see something in person. The staff member wasn't helpful as the store didn't have examples of their own products. Therefore, I continued with the same online order I had already half-completed on my phone. 

After that errand, I drove down the hill and turned on Queens Avenue.  I stopped by the picnic tables behind the 'New West Tennis Club'.  I took out the drone and flew up to about 40 meters and snapped a few images.

 

Remembering How to Fly

I have a guess about the future. I bet when the current selfie generation gets older, they'll forgo most photos at a mere arm's length. The best mobile camera filters won't be able to compensate for their thinning hair and the addition of those wrinkles. 

Below, I shall demonstrate the correct distance for a selfie when one is in one's 60s.

 

I dusted off my drone and went to the corner of Westminster Pier Park.  It is a three-minute walk from our apartment.  It has been so long since I took out my old Mavic Mini drone that I was sure I'd forgotten how to use it.  At first, I couldn't find the on switch.  I'm sure that I have never flown with my current phone.  (The phone sits in the controller and acts as a screen for operating the device.)  

It didn't take long, however, to get the hang of it again.  It really is a learned skill, somewhat like riding a bicycle.  However, I never bothered getting-in enough practice to be a good pilot.  I do find Westminster Pierk Park an easy place to fly.  Our apartment building is the third from the right, behind the far end of the white building in the next picture.

I burnt through a 20-minute lithium battery and started on a second.  It was rather breezy by the river.  Yet, I knew that prior to flying because the park has three, red windsocks we can see from our balcony.  Surprisingly few people were in the park at 11:30 am on a Friday.

I enjoy seeing the world from a little higher elevation.  I have to remember to use it more during spectacular British Columbian summers.

Getting a Little Ole Sol

There's something I noticed about myself that I don't like.

 

It has to do with how I feel when there's a nice day in British Columbia. If it's sunny and nice here, I get all antsy and guilty about not being outside. I somehow know that nice weather is a rare gift here and if I don't make a Herculean effort to enjoy it, I get depressed.

 

I don't suffer these feelings when we spend winters in places that are always warm and frequently sunny.  At those times, I relax knowing that the next day will be a fine-weather repeat.  And if not the next day, then the one after that will assuredly be fine too.

Anyway, back to today.  It was a beautiful morning in New Westminster, one of the nicest since last summer.  I had to choose between taking out the e-scooter or seeing if my drone still worked.  I chose the drone.  (Now, however, I feel guilty about not using the new e-scooter.)

Here are a few of today's drone photos from Westminster Pier Park on the Fraser River.  This area is about 500 meters from the apartment.   I live in one of the condo towers in the third image.

Just a Few Meters Off the Ground

I don't think I'd had my drone out since we got back. Today, I wanted to charge my batteries as one of the worst things one can do to lithium batteries is to let them remain uncharged. So, I also turned it on and found that there was a software update for the internal map data.

Today's weather was cold and dreary.  The threat of rain hasn't materialized but hasn't gone away.  I  also felt lazy and didn't feel like hiking down to the park to fly around.  So instead, I just sat in front of our buildings.  We have private space both in front and behind the two towers.  

I didn't want neighbours to think there was a creepy resident peeking in their windows, so I kept my original Mavic Mini only a few meters off the ground.  I skimmed over the top of the three-pillar fountain and practiced flying back and forth.  It's surprising how out of practice one can become in a short while!

A Fashion Model's Breakfast / Neighbour Kids

Day 93 - Our day was pretty normal and included the usual things including an afternoon visit by Nasir.

I'm just going to paste my two favourite pictures of the day.   The top image was included from the bunch of bananas we ate for breakfast.   It included the littlest banana I've ever eaten.  Jay called it a sampler.  I named it,  'A Fashion Model's Breakfast.

 

These little neighbour kids live just across the street.  They must have seen the drone as their mother mentioned to Jay's sister that the boy was very interested.  So, I took it out just so they could see it more closely.  They thought it was neat and wouldn't stop waving at it.  If only adults were so welcoming of new things, the world would be a more pleasant place!