Back out in the Public Again

It felt so strange, to be pulling up to a restaurant and going INSIDE to dine!! 

We went to a local Longhorn restaurant yesterday. The parking lot was filled with reserved parking spots for those getting curb service for their food takeout, but saw many other numbered parking spots, for unknown reasons. It was a big parking lot, only used by Longhorn, so I just circled around and picked a spot that was completely unmarked. We had NO idea if I should call first or just go in, and since I saw some others already park and go in, we did too!

Of course we had our masks on, and the front doors were displaying signs of mandatory facemasks use, but we have been to many other places with similar signs, but while inside the facilities, you would see people with NO masks walking around. What good is having a sign stating wear a facemask or you will be denied entry, then seeing people inside NOT wearing masks with no problem or concern by anyone?

So we were shown to our table, but saw many tables marked not for use, to keep customers' distances apart. 

The floor was very slippery, as if there was a thick coating of either car oil or soap. The man who showed us to our table joked how so many people - as we were - expressed concern or indecision about coming out, and had even asked us if this was our first dining out since the pandemic started. We said it was, and reassured us with "No worries, everyone has been kinda wondering what to do after they walk in!".

The food of course was excellent as always. We always share a single order of their Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a side of the oven-baked sweet potato, and the chicken is so tender and so full of flavor you could cut it with your eyes!

Delicioooous!!

It was great to eat out again, but not a problem with us. We both enjoy cooking, and take turns cooking. Sheila is a fantastic cook, and we both do not eat red meat.

At almost 2 in the afternoon, there were few people in the huge dining area. Most were single older men - whom Sheila and I joked that they were just tired of cooking for themselves for the past few months!

Have you gone out in your area yet to support your local businesses and enjoy a dine-in meal at the same time?

Testing a Slik SGH300 Gimbal Tripod Head

I have heard about it, seen them from far, and during a huge 2013 international watersports event in San Francisco, even got a chance to use a camera mounted on a very pricy tripod gimbal system (fitted with a 300mm and later a 600mm lens), but personally, I have never known anyone who has owned one.

Now, just days after receiving a Slik SGH300 Gimbal Tripod Head, and fitting it on a Manfrotto Neotec Pro tripod I picked up used years ago and both from Fireside Camera in San Francisco, I now have the best of two worlds!

I have been into photography for over three decades, looking through viewfinders with different tripods, BUT this must be the most versatile tripod I've ever yet!

No more locking down or releasing to fold up a tripod leg. Now I just pull on each leg and extend. To get it closed is just as EASY: I fold all three legs together, press and hold the release button at the top of each leg at once, then just push down on the tripod head to close! Before with other tripods it'd take me a max of 2-3mins to open my many tripods, but this tripod has me using it as quickly as within a minute if that long at all. Closing it is even more quick and simple, and does not even take 30 seconds with the method I just described above!!

Now I have just picked up a Slik SGH300 gimbal, and this addition to the Neotec Pro is the best combo ever!!!

Now I have a VERY easy to extend/fold tripod topped with this very small, light and efficient tripod accessory head that enables me to do more and much easier than I've ever done with a tripod in my lifetime behind cameras!

No matter what I've had and used in the past, every basic tripod and standard head I've had would NOT allow pointing my camera almost straight, and definitely NOT point my camera straight up (for those occasional night sky pixs)! Even more bigger and heavier tripod heads I've had wouldn't allow me to point even halfway to straight up! In all cases, I'd end up shortening one tripod leg very low to point the camera straight up, but nowadays even with a camera swivel screen, I'd have to be very low also just to look through the screen or the viewfinder! Of course the live-view on the swivel screen would be useful if I didn't mind having to switch batteries often! Sure, using the standard swivel ball-head is almost efficient BUT I didn't like using those, and I have at least two!

Enter the gimbal, and NOW I can stand straight with my camera at eye-level, and able to easily tilt, pan or anything else with the camera to any position including STRAIGHT UP effortlessly! It's a joy to have and use, and am sure this gimbal will now stay on the tripod permanently! The only thing the gimbal doesn't allow me to do is use a corded shutter release remote, but I can live with that (or maybe not). There is a hole and a slot that looks like it's for a thin cord but with my current remote, it still won't pass through. The pictures are from a recent sunset while testing the gimbal fitted onto the Neotec Pro recently. 

Hey, the sandflies seem to have disappeared for the past week!!!