Microbiome and Naked Health

[ric]

My metal detector was about 70 quid on fleabay.   Thought it better to get a new one rather than pay for what might be old tech.

Think I've got 5 pairs of binoculars , I keep one pair in both vehicles.   The 7x50 Carl zeise I bought new Inthe early 80s, about 70 quid,  thet actually give a brighter than ambient image...good for dusk or the number of stars invisable to naked eye they show is amazing.  The others have come from charity shops around a tenner each.  7x30 are light to carry and give a good image.   10 x50 are a bit heavier and sit on the window sil.     I've got a pair 12x25 praktika,  which I may well give back to the charity shop..the image from the small lenses is crap.

Llidles had a spotting scope in for around 40 quid a couple of years ago  , the high mag needs a tripod , which in reality means set up in one spot and wait for the birds to come by.  I prefer to go for a ramble for an hour or so with binoculars and a sunhat.
 
The binoculars and llelescope ads in the rspb mag are enough to frighten the wallet moths to death.😉

[jbeegoode]

Our forays into bird watching are casual. An unusual sound is heard, curiosity. A bright colored boy catches the eye. (Saw a big bright Mexican parrot in a canyon in the Chiracahuas.

There are corridors of riparian water and the ranges of "sky islands" that bring, I'm thinking 2 to 3 hundred bird species through Arizona, concentrating most of them. I remember my niece had to know around 230 to get her forestry degree. There have been places where I've sat and listened and heard six to a dozen bird calls within much less than a minute. Birders come from all over the world.

We're always looking to travel light and photograph, so the extra binocular is rarely taken with. DF's telephoto is powerful like binocs, so we on occasion take a zoom on an object, set it to the big computer screen at home and then blow it up from there. The birds are tough to nab, with light, shadow, depth of field, focus on the bird in a tree and get a sharp image of the branch in front of it.

I bought a state of the art pair back in the 1980's which are very compact, cool looking camouflage and cushioned. Boynton 8x21 that sit in my console in my truck, but rarely are used. We just take a photo. They have come in handy while speeding in the country to have a spotter.

Satisfied with that equipment for years, a couple of pairs of old tech military, (think WWII) were inherited. Then, on this last big trip in the Valley of the Gods, I came across a pair of Nikon Monarch 8x42 lying lost in a remote wash! Someone hadn't noticed the loss while climbing up a shelf and they fell quietly to the sand below. Dang! Technology has improved! These are very fun, stars, the moon eclipse, we even nabbed a curious bird sighting, or two. Still, they are extra bulk and weight to lug on a long hike, when we are looking to document and feel nude and light.

Yea, pocket moths...I'd have to find a high-end metal detector used, from someone who hardly used it, get it cheap, so I could resell it without much loss, when I'm the guy with a hardly used high-end metal detector. But then again, I might strike a pebble and get pulled into GOLD FEVER!
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

I got curious about metal/gold detectors. High end...Found one $9000?on sale! Six to nine K! Then median and not as effective for gold for several hundred bucks. Dang! You'd need to find a motherload to pay for the investment! Then again, the people who got actually rich during the gold rushes were the ones who sold the equipment.

These are new of course. Gold is special stuff, too.

I know a creek up near Prescott where miners are digging and panning quite a lot. We did a story on it on my website. We found a really nice digging tool, that I still use in my gardening. But, I didn't see anyone with one of these detectors.

https://thefreerangenaturist.org/2020/07/08/among-the-gold-miners/#more-7944

There is a plethora of metal detectors, not at all so pricey, which would seem a more reasonable investment and fun. This thread did start out about "Naked Health" in part and I'd think that that would be the primary goal and return of metal detecting.

ric, I'd like to hear how your detecting exploits turn out. We only hear about the big once in a lifetime finds, or "You can never have enough rust proof nails, ya know."
Jbee

[ric]

When photographing birds I've a choice of two setups......out for a walk where weight is the overriding factor I take a Fuji hs10  it's a bridge camera with long lens, the bits that matter are the manual zoom, simple twist of the barrel,   the manual focus and the waggly screen on the back.   The waggly screen is more for flowers etc.
For more serious photography I use a Pentax DSLR ,  I've had SLR cameras since a Russian zenith when I was a teenager.   Find carrying a bag of lenses and converters and extension tubes too much of a hassle most of the time the Fuji copes pretty well.,  the main problem is auto focus picking a branch infront of the subject or the auto exposure being fooled by bright sky behind a  bird.

[nuduke]

I don't do exercise, never have. 

But Ric, if you are who I think you are, your occupation was gardening.  Huge amount of physical exercise in that occupation, surely?

The science has been pointing to muscle building type weight lifting exercise as we age

Yes!  I have started doing weights and muscle building for this very reason.  A physiotherapist advised me to get started at my age to try and offset some of the muscle loss associated with aging in everyone.
John

[ric]

When I said I've never done exercise..I was referring to the unproductive type, ie going for a run,or toa gym,  I've always had a physically active lifestyle , gardening ,farming ,property maintainance , 
Now I've retired I'm looking for hobbies that involve physical activity as part of something else,  my seventy plus neighbour recently did a lands end to johno groats bike ride,  he rides for fun.    I won't , I will however ride to the bird reserve to watch or photograph birds.   
there's 46 flats on this over sixties estate , some still work, some do exercise of various sorts but there's a load who sit in front of their TVs or devices all day.nearly everyone is on prescription pills of some sort.

Wife and I aim to do something that involves getting out in the fresh air and a bit of walking everyday,  even if it's only a half hour stroll along the seafront with binoculars looking at birds,  ships heading for Portsmouth and Southampton and the odd spitfire.

Somebody said recently.  We used to die of overwork producing something to earn a crust, now we pay good money to go to the gym to lift weights for the sake of it.

[jbeegoode]

Some say that what ric's doing is enough. I like the walk thing, but I like to get a sprint in with it. I've got to drive to nature. I've been thinking a bike to ride along the river (It is dry most of the year, but it has trees and brush). The difficult part is getting up off of my....ya know?

Still lifting, squatting, swinging using all that you've got to some degree, use it or lose it. There is a reward in accomplishment and looking good enough for your gal's tastes.

I've got plenty of projects around the house, but the difficult part is getting up off of my....

A work in progress.....

Jbee

 

[nuduke]

When I said I've never done exercise..I was referring to the unproductive type, ie going for a run,or toa gym,

Ah yes, I see.  I misinterpreted.  Sorry.
Good point about the unproductive type.  Sadly, as you aver later in your post, it's the only type I can do consistently. I just don't have a life where living it needs constant exercise.  Mind you this morning I did about 2-3 hours cleaning and other household tasks, then mowed the lawn, then cooked the dinner, them did some more chores....and I'm knackered now at 9.30pm as I write this!!   [/size][size=78%]zzzzzzzzzz[/size]
John

[jbeegoode]

A good day Nuduke!

I went shopping at three hardware big boxes. Did maintenance on the composting toilet and changed light bulbs, set up a one match fire for the sweat, lugged six gallons of fresh water around from store, then walked and danced for three hours at a music fest in my friend's neighborhood. Took a three round (hour and a half) sauna and fed DF. Activities like this do wonders, quality of life increases for longer, if such is done every day.

Tomorrow, the plan is to finish digging out the garden and adding that yard of compost that I bought, begin cutting the fake fireplace that I'm making out of scrap 2x4's and drywall. Go shopping for the screws that I forgot today and get some green veggies. Spend 30 minutes working out. We'll see how those plans pan out. 
Jbee

[nuduke]

So, did you do all that on 29th Oct?  Don't see that the 30min workout would have been other than superfluous after a day's digging and carpentry!!
John

[jbeegoode]

Didn't leave home for errands. Didn't do my 30 minutes. I stayed busy and spent a few hours writing and publishing, but accomplished the rest of the activities. The fake fireplace is coming along a little at a time.

Squatting to stucco the porch wall that I enclosed the porch with will be a biggy.

Jbee

[nuduke]

J