I'm considerably older than I used to be...

I'm an old retired guy (a Vietnam Veteran and an Agent Orange related cancer survivor). After the military, I spent almost 33 years in public service; given the state of things these days, it's good to be retired. I'm close to 80 now and have a lot less tolerance for many things that I used to just let slide. My tolerance for idiots is extremely low these days. I used to have some immunity built up, but obviously there's a new strain out there. Look up the definition of curmudgeon and you're liable to see my scowling picture next to it. Once you reach a certain age, you become permanently unimpressed by a lot of things; as well as people who are all wrapped up in their own self-importance. I see people around my age skydiving and going on mountain climbing expeditions; I feel good getting my leg through my underwear without losing my balance. I really don't mind getting older, but my body is taking it badly; I'm at the age where I get sore from doing nothing…

I grew up in the household of an Army Sergeant Major and lived all over the world, moving every three or four years; Okinawa, Germany, Colombia (my favorite), India (I wouldn't go back it you paid me) and various stateside assignments. In 1971 I began my own military journey which led me to even more adventures. When I was a young man, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play with some VERY neat Italian sports cars. A deteriorating physical frame dictates that I can't drive them anymore, but I still enjoy looking at them. Health issues are also beginning to limit my access to some venues that I'd really like to shoot; hobbling around with a cane at times makes it difficult to follow uneven surfaced paths, but I'm still trying.

I've been using Nikon cameras and lenses exclusively since 1968 when I bought an FTn and several Nikkor lenses while stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. After numerous additional Nikon film cameras (Nikomat FTn, Nikkormat EL Nikon FA, Nikon F100), I finally broke down and went digital in 2008 (I still had the original FTn) when I acquired a Nikon D80, a Nikkor 18-135mm and a Sigma 10-20mm. The Sigma was the only time I've deviated from Nikkor lenses. That combination morphed into a D7100 and I finally went full-frame with a D810 (and a few FX lenses) in 2018; and recently a D850. I always carry a CoolPix point-and-shoot with me (generally set to black and white) because (for some odd reason) they often out shoot the big DSLR and have a 5:4 format. However, I added Sony mirrorless cameras into the mix around 2016 because of their much lighter weight. At the end of a long day, several pounds of Nikon gear hanging on your shoulder starts to wear you down a bit and I have body parts that are beginning to fail me. The current phone cameras are phenomenal, but I still don't feel 'comfortable' using mine and don't use it as often as I should; I'm old and too used to looking through a viewfinder to start changing horses in the middle of the stream... 😉

Current Camera Case Contents:

Nikon D850

Nikon F100

Nikkor 16mm f/2.8D fisheye

Nikkor 16-35mm f/4G ED VR

Nikkor 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5G ED VR

Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

Nikon CoolPix S9700

Nikon SB-700

Sony a7C

Sony a7RII

Sony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS

Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G OSS

Sony FE 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3 OSS

Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS

Sony HVL-F20M

Benro/MeFoto Globetrotter tripod

Benro/MeFoto Daytrip tripod

Samsung A54 5G