Thursday, December 27, 2012

Wednesday-Thursday December 26-27, 2012


Wednesday-Thursday December 26-27/12  update #324
Wednesday was simply a rest day for both of us and it gave us time to catch up on details for the upcoming trips.   I also tried to get more info on a camera I should buy and everything seems to point to a Canon T3i.  I stayed online until past midnight reading countless reviews from professionals and the vast consensus was to go with an EF-S 15-85 lens.  I did do a live chat with B+H Photo in New York, hoping to see the camera on the Friday and make the purchase on a Saturday, but since it is run by Hassidic Jews they are closed at the only hours I could actually make a purchase.   There seems to be better deals online too, so I am going to try to find one of these cameras to test it out.

Thursday morning we noticed an Etapa truck and some workmen in front.  We had a small river of water in front of our place emanating from the neighbors but hadn’t given it much thought.   They must have had a plugged sewer and an overflow somewhere because they were digging down to the pipes to fix something.
Bella headed downtown to mail out some tax forms for the crochet shows I will be doing in January in NYC and Phoenix.  She also checked out a new self-cleaning GE stove that she wants because our oven does not seem to want to heat above 350F.   I want to talk to the people we bought it from before making a wholesale change.   Maybe they will have a simple solution?
I went a different direction and hit every store that sold cameras I could find.  Finally the Fuji store kitty-corner from Santo Domingo directed me 5.5 blocks away to DigiCam on Mariscal Lamar.  They had the body and an 18-55 basic kit lens, but not the EF-S 15-85.  All the reports rave about the 15-85 and compare it to a professional lens.   The grip is not as nice as my Sony HX1 but I am sure I will get accustomed to it.  I loved the camera body, not too heavy and it has an awesome flip-tilt live screen which is a necessity for old guys like me that can’t bend easily.  Even with the crappy lens it focused and operated beautifully.   The T3i even shoots RAW so I may need a lot of lessons from some of my professional friends.
I am going to email a few places in NYC for quotes on a package of items.
I did see a few interesting sights while out there.   In the next block is another Mercado that we had been by on the bus many times but had never entered.  It appears a little closed in and intimidating but it really isn’t.  I was really amazed at the awesome quality of their produce in there, very fresh indeed.
Down the block a man was milking a goat right on the street and getting his results in a small glass.  Drinking on the run??
Santo Domingo church was also open so I peeked in to see the beautiful interior.  It is the second biggest church in Cuenca and is only 2 blocks from the big cathedral.
Oh, and I bought 9 more movies for $10, and I made sure they worked, were in English, good quality, and the sound matched the lip movement.  I'm getting better at this..
I noted that Raoul was installing dormers on the fourth floor where he may make himself his own small penthouse apartment.  It is a very small chopped area but could be made livable for a single person.
When I arrived home the workmen had already filled in the hole in our street and had left, so they must have been successful in their repair.
That was today’s excitement.   Hugs to all.   Please see all photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/

No comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to comment if you like...