Peter Lebeck Chapter #1866

An important reminder. Our annual corporate business meeting remains on track for this Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 10 a.m., at La Sierra Mexican Restaurant in Frazier Park, CA. La Sierra opens at 9 a.m. for breakfast with a full menu. My favorite is the Chiles Rellenos, but if your Spanish is rusty you can always order the "Break-fast Bur-ri-to."

Veronica and her husband have been hosting us for several years now and have made the back room available to PXL at no cost for our annual meeting, so please be generous with your patronage and support this important PXL Watering Hole.

La Sierra is located at 3500 Mount Pinos Way Frazier Park, CA 93225. Phone number (661) 245-3628. See you there.

--MGM

Hello Cloggites. This is an interim post. I'll be posting a full CLOG soon about our just concluded Fall Doin's, upcoming November's annual business meeting, and other stuff of significance, but since our first batch of pictures is done, I thought I'd take this opportunity to both vetch and brag as I go about updating our web pages.

PXL Graybeard and former proctor, Gene "D*ckhead" Duncker, was fond of saying that we should post our photos ASAP, so that all of Clamperdom can see how much fun we have at a Peter Lebeck Doin's, so I'm going to run with that. Our first batch of pictures from our Fall '24 Doin's is up on Peter's Picture Pages so please enjoy.

Usually I do a full Clog post once all the picture are in, and I fully expect Max Felser will send me what he took once he get s back from an out of state Marine event, but in the meantime I'm going to break out my tiny violin and whine a little bit about my work here on the Clog, but understand that I'm not about hogging all the glory.

I try to photograph as many PXL events as I can, but I can't make them all, so I'm grateful to Max for his patience and his camera work. And if anybody also wants to contribute, I'm also good with that, just understand that photos I post here are never intended to embarrass anyone.

As D*ckhead counseled, we ought to show the fun, but our pictures should also tell the story of our chapter because as memory fades the images remain as a visual record of PXL's past.

That means trying to keep things in order. Sadly, I have become the depository of several photo albums that belonged to worthy Clampers who have gone on to the Golden Hills, and though I intend to eventually post the contents of those books, I can seldom tell you the names of the events, locations and personalities depicted without the help of those with personal knowledge.

Photos reinforce the bond between those that attend our Doin's. The guys like to see themselves having fun with their Brethren. Our picture have even served as "proof of life." One guy had me take pictures of him and his dog so that his Widder wouldn't think he was spending his weekend with a Widder on the side. Clampers. You gotta love 'em.

With the exception of any photos scanned from prints, all the photos posted on our site were taken "digitally," that is "no film was involved," but it took years for computer generated images to catch up to f ilm quality, plus due to changes in web technologies, many of our early photo galleries no longer work and need to be resized and recompiled. Fortunately, with the exception of one set of images, I believe I still have full sized copies of everything I've posted going back to 2009.

So that's both the good and bad news: Good for the chapter because those galleries can be restored; bad for me because that's a lot of work which will take a long time to complete. Just processing the current catalog of 215 images took over 16 hours, though recent improvements in post-processing software have made it possible to now do in minutes, what in the past would have taken hours of manual masking, which is not practical for an entire gallery.

I think I would have enjoyed photographing the Fall Doin's more had my back not seized up on Saturday morning. Then there was the fact that my flash unit, which had been working the week before, refused to power up.

That last glitch did not prove fatal, though it did cause me problems. Flash is used to brighten up subjects in the dark, but they also work in harsh sunlight to bring out detail when things are in the shadows, and there is no lack of bright light during the day in Mojave.

Light and optics are at the heart of photography. Although we think of composition as how things are placed within the frame, light and optics create shape and drama in an image and can take it out of the category of simply being a "snapshot" and, occasionally, something you can call "art." Besides, when you don't have a flash you either improvise or you put your iron back in the bag and give up.

My current DSLR camera body is a full-frame Canon 6D Mark II, which is normally paired with a 24-106mm f/4 zoom lens. It's a very practical kit and makes very nice images, but it's nowhere near "fast" enough to shoot at night in ambient light.

Fortunately, I recently bought a used Canon 50mm f/1.4 prime lens, which is capable of capturing four times as much light as an f/4, and at $200, it was not only incredibly cheap, but the thing is a beast in low light situation. All of the photos I took in darkness with available light, I took with this lens. Whatever "zooming" I did had to be done with my feet, but at 50mm the distortion is minimal, meaning that the image is very close to what you would have seen with your own eyes had you been there yourself.

Take your time going through these images because I think some of them rise above snapshot level. If there is one you'd like to have printed, let me know and I will send it to you.

So how do pictures taken with a DSLR compare with cell phone photos? Well, there is no doubt that cell phone photography has greatly improved, and people have even made full length movies using their IPhones. Modern cell phone images are much superior to what I was able to capture 15 years ago with my early digital cameras. Still, there are upsides and down sides to both.

Newer cell phones can increase "dynamic range" (the difference between the brightest part of the image and the darkest part and still capture detail). Cell phones with multiple lenses can take images with a single click, then blend them into a single photograph with extended highlights and shadows, and often can do so in low light. You can do the same with a DSLR or mirrorless camera but you have to take successive images and blend them either in the camera or on the computer.

On the other hand, the small lenses on cell phones are not as good as the large lenses on DSLRs. On a cell phone, zooming in is done digitally which decreases the number of pixels in the frame and therefore the image's sharpness. While a zoom lens on a DSLR keeps the number of pixels the same as it zooms in so it's able to maintain sharpness.

The last test is color. I love the Canon colors which are the best in the industry, while the colors using my Samsung S23+ cell phone camera tended to be a bit drab - but both machines are plagued by the color RED. The Canon rendered red in an overly vivid and bright manner; the Samsung turned red into Hot Pink. Both can be fixed in post, but it takes time and finesse, and the result doesn't always look even or natural.

To prove the point, compare the last 15 images in my post. They were taken with my Samsung S23+ cell phone. It's not an entirely fair comparison because the cell phone photos were taken as jpegs, which means some digital information was discarded by the phone's processor to reduced file size. The missing data can't be recovered so it can't be accessed to make post-processing corrections, but there is no way I'm not going to add these to the gallery. They're still keepers. Because there's a saying in photography, "The best camera is the one you have in your hand."

Get back to you soon.

Our Fall Clampout is on! If you are willing to help set-up, then the gates will open for you today, Thursday, September 26, at 12 noon. If you need directions or a copy of the schedule, you can still download them here or from our Fall Doin's page. Remember, the PXL feedbag goes on Friday afternoon so until then you are on your own for food, however we are about a mile from downtown Mojave so don't be shy about patronizing local businesses.

D*ckhead Weather central is predicting daytime temperatures in the mid-90's and nighttime temps in the mid-60's. We'll have a communal fire rings so your firewood contributions are appreciated. Scary stories are also welcome.

Winds should be moderate but stronger gusts are unpredictable. Unfortunately neither snow nor rain are expected this trip so for your personal safety, please leave you snow rings and toboggans at home. However your kites are encouraged. The humbug is offering a prize for the best Clamper themed kite (whatever that is).

Finally, please drive safely. Do it sober and leave the usual no-no's at home, including your shot guns. This is NOT a weekend full of skeet.

--MRM

ATTENTION CLAMPERS!!! The last day to register AND pay for our Fall Doin's is this coming Friday, 20 September 2024, by 5PM. Registrations received after the deadline will not be accepted, NO EXCEPTIONS! The rub is $75.00. Event shirts are SOLD OUT!

Our Clamp Chef Frank "Guardrail" reminds you all that the Chapter will provide the eggs for Saturdays morning's Potluck Breakfast, but you are encouraged to share your meat (bacon, sausage, hot links ,ham, etc.) with your Brothers.

GUARDRAIL has requested that the brothers bring frozen country potatoes. We never seem to have enough. Don't worry if they thaw out, as long as they stay cold, all is good, we hope!

Our Fall Doin's registration page has everything you need to register. You can use our internet registration form OR download a PDF version of our Fall Flyer. If you have problems with the internet form, The flyer includes a fillable PDF registration form and release of liability. Download the flyer, then use your computer to fill in the blanks. Attach the whole thing to an email and send it to registration@ecv1866.org. There's no need to print it out unless you also want a hard copy of the flyer.

You can still pay by check if you do it right away, but, to be safe, use Zelle to send your payment to paypeter@ecv1866.org. Either way your gold dust must be in our hands by 5PM on Friday, 20 September. Mailing and Zelle information is also on the registration page.

This is a dry Clampsite so bring shade, plenty of water and expect windy conditions.

There is a fire ring where the PXL Tittie Bar will be set up so bring firewood. All other Clamp fires must be off the ground and ashes properly disposed of. Make sure you have water and a shovel for safety.

Note: Some of you may have had a problem registering online. Therefore, for this Clampout an exception will be made. As long as we receive your rub by the deadline (9/20/24 by 5PM) you can fill out your registration and ROL at the Clampsite check in.

Early arrival - You can arrive on Thursday, 26 September but not before noon, and expect to help with set-up, otherwise, see you on Friday morning.

Special Event: There will be a Clamper Kite Flying contest on Saturday. A grand prize will be awarded by the Humbug for the most creative kite.

Should you have any questions or concerns feel free to call or text to (661) 714-7203, or send me an email at dalefmda@earthlink.net.

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Mojave September 26 to 29, 2024.

Until then be well and Clamp On!
     Dale "Top" Turner, XNGH/GDR
Clamp Crier

 

Hello Cloggites. I'm posting this FYI on the Borel Fire because several of our members have been affected by it, and I thought that you all should be aware of what is going on, if you weren't aware of it already. Aside from "Scoop" Mutz who mans our Facebook page and has lost his house up in Havilah, there are at least three XNGHs and their Widders, that I know of that have been impacted, and there may be others. If that includes you, please check in with us and let us know that you're OK.

Currently the fire has exceeded 50,000 acres and is uncontained. The fire began when a car on the highway that runs alongside the Kern River went over the side and caught fire.

For those unfamiliar with the geography of Kern County, the fire started in the northeast portion of the county, in the Kern River Valley west of the Sierras and south of the Kern River. If you have ever been to Lake Isabella or Kernville, imagine looking south down the foothills, across the valley and over and beyond the mountains on the other side. That's how big this thing is. Rankin Ranch, which is in Walker Basin, is within the southern edge of the evacuation zone. From there, the town of Isabella, which is along the Kern River, is about 25 miles away.

XXNGH Al "The Quackster" Price, who lives in Walker Basin, reports that as of this morning the fire was within two miles of the Sh*t Howdy Ranch. At three in the morning, he and Jayne were watching the water drops from their front porch. That CalFire was flying helicopters in the dark gives you an idea of how dire the situation had become.

As of this afternoon the winds were blowing out of the southwest, so away from the Basin, but that also meant that the winds were threatening the east side of the Kern River Valley, forcing the fire east in the direction of the Sierras and the Mojave Desert.

Currently the National Weather Service has posted a red flag warning for uphill winds out of the west until 11 p.m. tomorrow night. The Quackster reports that the direction of the wind can be quite fickle so this in no time to be letting anyone's guard down. The Borel isn't the only fire in that part of the county. There are two up near Kernville, and though there is no evacuation for that area, getting up and out in these circumstances is dicey.

The reports are that Havilah is pretty much gone. Al and Jayne tried driving up there this afternoon but were unable to convince the authorities to let them in. Powerlines are down across the road and there is fire equipment everywhere. Al was told that firefighters were able to save most of the replica schoolhouse, but he believes that the town museum is gone, and that has been confirmed by KGET-TV, in Bakersfield.

Jayne told me that she believes that the Kutzner's home at Bald Eagle Ranch house has so far survived. Wes and Janet are safe with friend, and she has been calling her house and the answering machine has been picking up. As mentioned above, Scoop's house in Havilah is gone, but the Mutz's principal residence is in the city, so they are safe as well, though hardly happy about the situation.

If you'd like to check on the current fire conditions, you can access Bakersfield KGET-TV's on line reporting here. https://www.kget.com/ And I'm sure that's not the only coverage.

I also recommend downloading the "Watch Duty" app. It was created by a nonprofit and doesn't rely on advertising that gums up your phone. The app has overlays that you can turn on and off that show fire perimeter, burn history, evacuation areas, terrain and satellite views. It even has a couple of "hot spot" overlays so you can track those parts of the fire that are most active and threatening. The screen shot I posted here is from this evening. The bright orange areas are hot spots reported within the last few hours.

Often I get asked by the brotherhood, Dr. Klapper, how do you maintain your youthful handsome looks?

As your Humbug it's my duty to make sure that I look out for our chapter and our brothers, so I will now divulge my secret in one word - -MOJAVE! Yes the Mojave Desert has been my fountain of youth and I am here to offer you an opportunity to bring that youthfulness into your life in the form of the PXL Fall Doin's!

We will be visiting a secret location near the town of Mojave to bask in that rejuvenation known as "THE DESERT."

Will the wind blow? You're dang right it will! How else can we have a Clamper Kite contest? That's right, bring your finest red and black flying contraption along with a few miles of kite string and you'll be in the running to win a magical prize, picked out by none other than your Noble Grand Humbug.

The town of Mojave is itself History! It began in 1876 as a construction camp on the Southern Pacific Railroad. From 1884 to 1889, the town was the western terminus of the 165-mile (266 km) Twenty-mule Team Trail to Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley. It later served as headquarters for construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and today is situated along-side a well maintained state highway, with plenty of hamburgers, fried chicken, and offers of more gas than inside a Clamper on a Sunday morning.

So boys, get your registration and rub in right away, load up your camping gear (don't forget your kite!) and come enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow clampers. Just click on the flashing link above to get to our electronic registration page where enlightenment awaits!

By taking advanatge of our online registration page you can sign-up electronically and download whatever you need. just do it by September 20th because this event is prepay only. No walk-ins and no retreads. And if you want an evet shirt for yourself or your PBC, then make sure to do it by September 9th!

See you in Mojave!