Insanity plea

The last two weeks were self-induced crazy. I felt it a great time to step up with some new gear, only to scramble and derange my kit in surprising ways before the proverbial dust finally settled.

It began with the idea that I could swap e-m1.ii for a D610 and get a pinch of money back. I did that quickly, well before thinking.

While doing that I acquired an Olympus E-3 to use with my three  four:thirds lenses. I did what? Three lenses?!? Hm, that was silly.

Oh yeah, and a new gx1 body stole my wallet briefly and ordered itself. Who could resist having a brand-new one of those? 

Chaos rules!

I then spent a weekend of active recrimination and swift action. I offered my hasty e-3 kit and gx1 and gx7 online, hardly caring which ones left or when. To my surprise the e-3 sold with two 4:3 lenses and the gx1 nearly sold. I was able to send that back to the seller instead, and sent a note about the D610 to the dealer, intending to get the em1.ii back but letting them keep the Lumix 20mm.

The day that camera reached the dealer an em5.ii showed up on their site for sale/trade! In the end (and after some quick research) I decided on the silver eM5b, battery grip and a spare Olympus battery instead, yielding more cash back than the D610 deal or the em1 return would provide.

Edit - never mind!

Soon after my posting the above, an eM1 Classic went up for an irresistible price. Worked hard and given a new shutter, it's ready to keep working for a new owner. The sensor is a dxo match for the eM5ii, tip not flip screen, and a better grip without additional accessories. Hm, sounds like my kind of camera!

April showers?

 It's been a strange April. A dry week, three damp days then over 10 days of warmth and hardly a cloud. Typical April weather returns late this week, and an inch of rain should soak in this weekend. It's been hard on new plants as I was late breaking out the hose.. at least I knew where to look for it! 

The dry times did allow me to refine the stone pathway, do some weeding and remove most of the fallen tree from the neighbor's yard. Once the weed monster is fully assembled, the blackberry vines will find themselves confined to a smaller area. They definitely ambushed me a few times during the tree removal but the scars have mostly healed.

April ended at about 30% of normal, and driest on record in Portland.

winter fades, spring leaps forward

We're seeing slushy rain this morning, just as forecast. Too warm to accumulate, and sunshine punctures the clouds at times - still, it's a cool day and frost is shown for tonight. This appears to be the last gasp of wintry weather though, with 70° expected in lower valleys and mid-60s here on the hill-top.

We assembled a standalone porch swing and gave it a test yesterday, as the clouds thickened and the cooler air began to pour in. Just a few days early, but it's ready for the fine weather!

I've also been reassembling the green-stone walkway that meanders past the flowers and up to the deck. Still working on that, but it's looking nice with its fresh mounds and solar lamps.