I Bought My First Drone and Learning How to Fly

Drone Photo of our House

What did I do on Prime Day 2023? Well, I finally got myself a drone. Certainly not high end but I think it will work out well for me. It arrived on Friday afternoon and I was so excited to start using it that I tried it Friday evening but in the house. Yes, it was raining when it arrived, so I tried it in the house first. I have no idea what I am doing, so I flew it into the TV, the couch, etc., and quickly decided I better do this outside.

I purchased the NEHEME NH525 Foldable Frones with 1080P HD Camera which was selling on Prime Day for half price. I got it for about $50. It is labeled as beginner or for kids. Well, I might be both of those categories as I am having fun with it on Saturday morning. It comes with a joystick or I can use my phone to fly. I have tried both and have much better control it seems with the joystick. However, I am unable to take pictures, or video, with the remote for some reason. It was working fine when I tested it Friday night, but nothing today. So, I can only take pictures using my phone and the app.

More Drone Test Pics of our House

The drone does scare Oliver who is not sure what is happening. I am sure it did not help that I was flying it in the house, crashing into the couch or the TV, so he is not sure what to think about it. For a little device, it does make a good amount of noise.

I would like to take it out to an open field where I can use it as our backyard is not the best. Yes, I did get the B4UFLY app to check if I can fly in our neighborhood and I was happy to see that I can fly without restrictions. I do still need to register the drone through the FAA, but I have not looked at that process at this point. I am hoping I can get the joystick to take pictures with the one button click or I need to learn how to fly with my phone.

The plan is to take the drone on camping trips to take pictures of our camp site, us while we are camping, or of other interesting sites while we are camping. Of course between now and our next camping trip (probably in the fall), I need to train and test flying. 

Drone Picture Front of House

The drone came with two batteries which allows for about 10 - 12 minutes of flying time for each battery. Not bad and overall I think the pictures look pretty good. I did take a test video while flying in the front but it is very shaky. Possibly some of it to do with my inexperience of flying but also the drone is constantly repositioning or correcting even when I am not doing the controls which makes for a jumpy video. I think with this low end drone, I will primarily be taking pictures.

I am sure you know this means there will be more pictures and more posts with the new drone. Hopefully as I get better flying, and taking pictures, these will improve and I will be ready to take pictures of our next camping site when we go in the fall.

Until next time, have a great weekend and I look forward to sharing my drone journey over the coming months.

Fleet Foxes Concert, Camping, July 4, and then Oliver Had Teeth Pulled Update

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday week last week. Made for an interesting week with the 4th happening on Tuesday as it was a short week for me taking off Monday, holiday, and then working Wednesday through the week. For this update, I am combining a few different updates that have happened over the past week or so rather than posting multiple posts.

Fleet Foxes Concert

Carrie and I attended another concert on Saturday, July 1. We were in Kansas City at The Midland Theater to watch the Fleet Foxes. Carrie and I went in Saturday afternoon, had lunch at Ponak's Mexican Kitchen (which is outstanding), and then went to our hotel before the concert. We had reserved a room at the President Hotel Kansas City so we would be just a block or so from The Midland Theater. The plan worked out great! Enjoyed some drinks at the hotel bar and then walked to the concert.

The Fleet Foxes is a band I have heard over the years, but had not followed. Carrie has known about them for a while and when she saw that they were playing in Kansas City, we decided we had to go see them. 

Selfie at Fleet Foxes Concert

Standing room only for the concert, so we found a good spot a section or so up from the stage. It worked out perfect as we had a railing to lean against for the show which helped the old back. The last time we were at The Midland Theater was years ago for a James Taylor concert. At that time, the theater had chair seating toward the back, but all seating has been removed from the theater and standing only with a large bar at the back of the venue.

The whole show was great! We had so much fun at the concert. I cannot wait to see what concert we go to next. This was our third concert of the summer and it was a blast! Carrie said the next day that the Fleet Foxes concert we attended might be her best concert ever. The setting, the band, and sounds were all wonderful, so I can see why she would say it is her top concert.

Camping at Council Grove for Second Time

 

Following the concert, we had made quick plans the week prior to go camping. Only a two day camp trip as we were going to the concert Saturday and would not be back until Sunday, so after getting back from Kansas City, we loaded up the car, and then we headed back to Council Grove where we were just a few weeks prior.

We went camping with Greg and Erin where we went to the same exact spot we had camped previously. We love the spot and really enjoy the lake too. We rented a boat again on Monday spending a lot of time at the beach. It was wonderful! This will likely be our last camping trip until the fall when it starts cooling down. 

Bulgogi on Firedisc

Sunday night we had Pizza Hut again. They were out of a lot of ingredients with the holiday weekend, but it was still really good pizza. For Monday night dinner, Carrie made bulgogi, fried rice, and pot stickers on the Firedisc. After a day on the water, it was great to eat a delicious meal. We then spent the evening around the camp fire listening to music as we do when we camp. What good memories and we love it at that site!

Oliver Not Wanting to Leave

When we were packing up on Monday morning, Oliver did not want to leave the camp site. He stayed in our tent as we were packing and then out front of it when everything was cleared from it. I think Oliver likes to camp or maybe he was just protecting his "home" and not wanting to let anyone take it. We decided to get up early on Tuesday so we could pack before it got hot and so we could get back home a little earlier.

The plan worked out great as we were back in Topeka by 11 am or so. Carrie and I spent the late morning unpacking the car and putting things away. The afternoon we did not do a whole lot. Oliver, Carrie, and I all snoozed some of the afternoon. The fireworks started in the neighborhood, so Oliver took cover behind furniture while those were happening. As it would happen, after the fireworks finished, a large storm moved through with a lot of thunder, so through the wee hours of the night, Oliver once again did some hiding under furniture. I am sure he wondered what was happening with fireworks and then thunder. Was the world ending? Poor guy! 

Oliver Post Teeth Pulled

The rest of the week went smoothly with only three days of work. We did have Oliver scheduled for a vet appointment Friday morning, so I dropped him off at the vet at 7:30 am. This was to do a teeth cleaning and possibly pull some teeth. I got a call from the vet about 9:30 saying Oliver would need to have teeth pulled. This would be the second time he has had to have teeth pulled and this time they were pulling ten teeth. I asked the vet how many would remain after today and they told me he would have around 15 teeth remaining. The vet also told me that dogs will adapt and can be without any teeth. I gave the go ahead and he was done with the operation by late morning. We were able to pick him up at 3:45.

What a sad little puppy. He could barely stand after the anesthesia. Picking him up he felt like a bag of potatoes. Blood was coming from his mouth that we could see on the blanket he was laying on through the evening. He was not interested in eating or drinking that first night which matched with what the vet said would happen. He looked so pitiful it was tough to watch him not being his regular self.

Oliver on Camping Trip

Saturday he was doing a little better and he was actually interested in eating, so we had soft food for him. We noticed he could not find a spot where he was comfortable as he kept moving from spot to spot. He would lay down, sleep a little, and then get up and move to another spot after a few minutes. We also noted that his tail was dragging behind him as he walked, so we know he is not feeling well.

It is now Sunday morning and he continues to improve. Tail is still dragging behind him when he walks, but he is eating everything we give him for soft food. Really hungry or new food to him, I am not sure. I feel bad when I let him out and he comes back in without a treat. He looks at me as if something is wrong with me that I am not giving him a treat.

We need to talk to the specialist in Kansas City about his canines to see if those need to be removed. My guess is that they will say they need to be pulled, but then does that make sense to do so or what do we do next? Decisions to be made.

Oliver will continue to improve and be back to himself before long. Until next time, have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful weekend!

Happy 4th of July for 2023!

Have a Happy and Safe July 4th celebration! It seems like the past few years it has rained leading up to or on Independence Day. While we need the rain, I hope that we have nice weather to enjoy the celebration.

Be safe out there if you are firing off fireworks but also take time to enjoy family and friends during the holiday. 

In my younger days, I would be all about going out to buy fireworks and spend the evening blowing them up. Now, I am good with a relaxing evening and maybe watching a fireworks show. My dog, Oliver, does not like fireworks at all, so we have found the past two or three years where we we go driving to get him out of the house and away from the boom that scares him to hide under furniture.

Until next time, have a great 4th and a short work week.

Carrie and John attended Dwight Yoakam concert on June 22 in Kansas City with summary and pictures

Drinks Before Concert

I have mentioned a few times in past posts that Carrie and I are trying to do more concerts this year. We attended our second concert of the season on Thursday, June 22 by attending Dwight Yoakam. Overall, we had a great time attending the concert. Dwight Yoakam was really good and solid in his performance. The special guest opening for Dwight Yoakam was Aaron Lewis. I was not a fan of Aaron Lewis, so I could have done without hearing him on stage. 

The concert was at Azura Amphitheater which I had not been to in over 10 - 15 years. I actually do not recall the last time I went to a concert there, but it was a fun spot. They had the upper area, grass, closed for the concert, so only the lower section which is seating was open. A good variety of concessions with food, drinks, and even high end cocktails, so it was a fun night. Prior to the concert we did a little tailgating before heading into the concert. After hearing Aaron Lewis, we wish we would have stayed out in the parking lot longer to enjoy a few more drinks.

Carrie in the Shade

After we made it inside, we found a shady spot to hang out and relax. Sipping on drinks and we had a delicious hotdog from concessions. Dwight Yoakam went on stage around 9 or 9:30, so we had a long time waiting for the earlier acts to finish up and the main event to start. We believe Dwight Yoakam was waiting for the sun to go down fully as that's when he finally came out on stage. The concert started at 7 and then main act went on stage much later. We did not get home until about 12:30 that night.

I would go to another concert at Azura Amphitheater as it was a fun spot. It was our first country concert to attend in a long time, so we will have to evaluate and see if we will attend another one in the future. I have fond memories of Azura Amphitheater, formally Sandstone Amphitheater from back in the day, where I saw a number of concerts when I was in college. Fun to be back there and enjoy the outdoors while listening to live music.

Shot of Stage with Dwight Yoakam

At one point while getting drinks, I did snap a picture of the stage although I see I did not get a good picture of Dwight Yoakam as he was behind the post. There was a good crowd at the concert and we had a lot of fun watching people, enjoying the music, and enjoying being out and about together.

Until next time, have a great weekend and get out and hear some live music!

Camping trip to Council Grove Lake June 14 - 17 adventure with pictures and descriptions. Come experience Council Grove camping with us.

Camp Site at Council Grove Lake

We were able to get our first camping trip of the season on June 14 - 17 at Council Grove Lake. The prior weekend we drove around looking at camp sites at various lakes, but decided on Council Grove camp site once we found this hidden gem right by the dam. No other camp sites nearby as it is at the end of the road and it was excellent!

We went camping with Erin and Greg for what I believe we discussed was our overall fourth time to camp altogether. We took Oliver with us on the camping trip and he had a great time. Greg and Erin took Charley for her first ever camping trip. I think she had a good time and also enjoyed some time in the water which I will share pictures of later in this post. Both dogs did well with only one instance where Oliver got aggressive as he thought Charley was going to take his bed. We kept the dogs up late each night we were camping around the campfire.

Sunset on Council Grove Lake

I took the picture to the left while walking Oliver on Thursday night. The reflection of the sun off of the water was impressive and the picture does display how brilliant the view was from the walk. I took Oliver on a number of walks although we let him wander around the camp site without being leashed. He enjoyed it and did a good job of sticking around the site as well as coming back when he would wander off to far.

Wednesday night we got to the camp site around 8 pm. I worked that Wednesday and then left for the camp site once I got home. We are about an hour from Council Grove Lake although we had our car packed and items on the roof, so we had to drive a little slower than normal with chairs and items on the roof. Greg and I had a golf draft to do at 8:30, so we quickly got our tent put up for Carrie and I. The ladies went to pick up Pizza Hut for us for dinner while Greg and I did our draft. It was some of the best Pizza Hut I have had in a long time. Cooked perfect, hot, and delicious. Worked out great as we had arrived at the camp site so late in the day and no time to cook anything ourselves. A perfect plan we had thought up leading up to our camping trip. We stayed up late around the fire Wednesday night and talking about our upcoming adventures. Fun first night!

Sleepy Oliver After Up Prior Night

Thursday morning Carrie and I slept a little late as Oliver did not sleep well Wednesday night. He was restless and running around the tent. Each time I was almost asleep, Oliver would get up and walk around the tent making noises. Finally, about 6 am Oliver finally found a spot to lay down and went to sleep. I am not sure what his issue was other than both Carrie and I usually do not sleep well the first night of camping so we are guessing that Oliver is the same and has problems sleeping the first night too.

Cornhole Tournament While Camping

After waking up, having a small breakfast, we relaxed around the camp site. I read a few chapters and dozed in my chair. Oliver of course slept from being up the night before. An enjoyable start to our first full day of camping. After a late lunch, we spent part of the afternoon playing Cornhole. We only played Cornhole the one day although we planned to play more we never got back to play. It was fun and took us to the early evening of playing before we started dinner.

Chicken Piccata on Firedisc

Thursday night for dinner, Carrie made chicken piccata for us on the Firedisc. It worked out great and it was delicious! First time making chicken piccata while camping. The chicken and green beans on the Firedisc were really good and then the pasta was one Carrie found that did not need to do boiling water, so we were able to warm those up on the Firedisc. Yum!

Finished Chicken Piccata for Dinner

We ended up eating around 8 Thursday night and then spent the evening around the fire listening to music, talking, and enjoying the outdoors.

Each time we go camping, we try to plan a theme for a music list so we can listen while we are camping. This time we decided to come up with ten songs from the year we graduated high school that were released the year of our graduation year plus the year both couples were married with each person selecting ten songs from the year married that were released during that year. Makes for a fun time and then we try to guess who selected what songs. If you are interested, here is the playlist Carrie put together with all the songs titled Camping at Council Grove: June 2023. 

Boating on Council Grove Lake

While we were hanging out Thursday afternoon, we wandered about renting a boat. Sure enough, Council Grove Lake rents out boats, so we got one reserved for Friday. We had a blast! We took the dogs which was the first time boating for both Oliver and Charley. We went over to the beach where the marina recommended would be a good spot so we could easily get in the water. The dogs loved it and we all had a good time floating, drinking adult beverages, and enjoying the dogs in the water. At one point, we went back to the marina where they were making frozen margaritas that we took back out on the water. They were delicious!

Oliver Floating on Life Jackets

Charley Relaxing on the Boat

Oliver Relaxing

Charley Swimming Like a Champ! (Video)

Floating on Life Jackets... Happy Dog!

Sun, Water, and Boating. Good Life!

Polska Kielbasa and Fried Tators

After a full afternoon of boating, we were starving. Carrie did fried potatoes and Polska Kielbasa on the Firedisc. We made a lot of potatoes and I think we put a huge dent in what was cooked. While we cooked, the dogs slept and watched us, but never got up to come over to see what we were doing. They were both exhausted from floating/swimming they had done during the afternoon.

Camp Site at Night

We all went around the campfire to relax for the evening. While Erin, Greg, and I were relaxing, Carrie snapped some pictures of our camp site capturing the lights. It is so perfect! The only issue we had our last night of camping were the gnats. They were everywhere and flying into our faces. We had not experienced this the other nights, so not sure if it was due to storms that were supposed to roll into the area the following day or not. We covered our drinks and enjoyed our time around the fire, drinking, and listening to music.

Nature Trail Hike Before Leaving

Carrie and I had planned to camp Saturday night too but weather was scheduled to move into the area, so we decided with Oliver, it would be best to leave Saturday when Greg and Erin were leaving. We packed up our tent and some items from the camp site before we drove to the nature trail. It was a 1.25 mile hike we did with the dogs and it was perfect. We all talked about how it would be great do to the hike early in the morning when the sun was rising although it was beautiful mid-day as we did the hike.

I am so happy we were able to get our first camping trip completed. We had a wonderful time and plan to go back to Council Grove Lake in the future. Our spot was perfect and we liked the beach area where we swam off of the boat too. We do not have a next camping date set, but I hope we get one set soon.

Happy Father's Day 2023!

Dad and Me from 2008

Happy Father's Day to all fathers! I miss my Dad and it is hard it is coming up on it is coming up on ten years since his passing this next year. I have fond memories of Father's Day watching golf with Dad or being at the lake. I know he is having a great time today following the US Open.

Father's Day will always bring back memories of Lone Star Lake and spending the weekend there as that's where Dad liked to hang out. Actually, we would be out there on Saturday and then back home for Sunday so he could watch golf and of course for pizza nights. Good memories!

Dad Shirron and Me from 2009

Happy Father's Day to my father-in-law. We have a lot of memories we have put together through the years with trips to the King Biscuit Blues Festival and other adventures we have gone on through the years.

Happy Father's Day to my brother-in-laws Jerry and Kent. Plus a Happy Father's Day to my brother, Tim. I trust Tim got a game of golf in today and is now enjoying watching the US Open as it runs into the evening hours.

Oliver Wishes you a Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all including those of us with fur babies like Oliver. I hope everyone has had a wonderful day. Enjoy the rest of day!

Romeo & Juliet Production as part of Lady Shakes Theatre Company at Jayhawk Theatre June 9, 10, and 11

Selfie Back Stage

Carrie finished up a play last weekend that she has been rehearsing for the past month or so. She did great! Carrie has been a part of Lady Shakes Theatre Company the past few years and last weekend finished the production of Romeo & Juliet. The cast was great and they did a wonderful job.

I attended the play on Friday, June 9 and had a great time. It was the second time seeing Lady Shakes Theatre Company perform at the Jayhawk Theatre. I believe it was my third or fourth time seeing a play by Lady Shakes.

Friday night had a good crowd and the theatre opened an hour early to give the audience a chance to eat at a food truck and have some drinks. I went with Eddie, Joan, Greg, and Erin. The theatre had it set up nicely with tables in the front section so that people could eat, have some drinks, and be comfortable for the performances. We had a great time!

Photos from the performance on Friday, June 9...

Carrie Performing at Jayhawk Theatre

Wide Shot of Performance

Carrie Taking a Bow

Curtain Call End of the Night

It is so fun to see Carrie performing on stage. She does such a good job. I am not sure I would be able to say my name if I were performing let alone remember my lines. Carrie seems to have no problems and did not even seem nervous as we drove to the theatre that evening. I am so proud of Carrie for doing these productions and I take great pride in seeing her on stage.

I did tell Carrie Friday night following the performance I would do the other two nights too, but I ended up only going to the one performance. The Saturday and Sunday performances had fewer people in the audience, but Carrie said they were good shows. Following the Saturday night performance, Carrie went out with the cast for a drink. Even though the rehearsals were not a lot of fun, I think she had a great time performing and being with the cast members. She told me Sunday following the last performance she almost cried on her way home thinking that was it.

Selfie Post Opening Night

Following the Friday night performance, we were able to get some food for Carrie and take a selfie. Carrie had spent most evenings rehearsing as it led up to the production and most nights she would get home around 10:30 - 11:30 and would finally eat dinner. It has been good to have Carrie back home and on a regular schedule. Plus, our dog, Oliver, likes having the routine back with both of us around. 

Congrats on a job well done and I cannot wait to see what you do next. I had fun listening to you rehearse although I do not think I helped you with your lines at all this time. You had a unique way to rehearse with the recording of all the other voices and you would use that to rehearse your lines. Worked like a charm! Great job!