Drone

Late July drone videos Pt 1

The two videos below were taken with my new Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus drone.  There are more coming that I need to edit!

The first video features an altitude record of about 380 feet.  The second video was taken while Jen was swimming!

PRODUCT LINK:  Get yours on Amazon today.

 

MUSIC:  Memory of Water (Big Beat Mix) by Marillion

MUSIC:  Everybody Wants To Rule the World by Tears for Fears


This video below was made using my light Potensic Atom 4k drone.  I wanted to do some “stunt flying” which you shouldn’t really do with a pro drone when people are around.  The Potensic is perfect for that feeling of flying!

MUSIC:  Traveling Riverside Blues by Led Zeppelin

 

 

 

 

REVIEW: Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus drone

PRODUCT LINK:  Get yours on Amazon today.

RUKO F11PRO 2 Plus drone

Are you ready to level up your drone videos?  If you have been wanting to fly higher, further, faster and capture amazing videos while doing it, then the Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus might be the perfect fit for you.  All you need to get started is a micro SD card (to record video) and a phone.  This drone is 360 grams, so you will also need to register it, which can be done in minutes.  Check your local regulations.

The drone comes with two batteries which give you a flight time of 35 minutes each, depending on conditions.  This is longer than the average drone, usually good for 20 to 30 minutes.  You will also receive all the cables for any phone connection, spare propellers, and replacement tools.  Not to be underrated, the drone also comes with a paper manual instead of a PDF file.  The included controller is sleek, with a small digital screen feeding you information about battery life, GPS connection strength, distance and altitude.  It is easy to learn how to fly, and once calibrated, the drone is extremely stable.  If you take it straight up, you can bring it straight down with minimal drift.  The running lights make it easier to spot in the sky.  In hand, it feels strong, sturdy and robust.

If you’re already familiar with drones and their features, you probably want to know all about the camera.  The videos in this review (at bottom) are their own testimony.

Video and photo quality are unparalleled.  With photos at 8k UHD, and video footage at 4k and 30 fps, you will capture smoother, sleeker, clearer images than ever before.  The camera offers a 5X digital zoom as well.  When you take these videos and play them on a high definition display, it will feel as if you are flying.  The three-axis brushless gimbal is key to the smooth feel of these videos.  Whether you are maneuvering your drone, adjusting the camera angle, or doing both at once, the videos are completely smooth and always level.  Even in windy conditions, you won’t notice any shake on video.   The drone will remain steady as you capture the images with all your creativity unleashed.  The special sauce might actually be the Sony lens, for top colour reproduction and light capturing.  The videos demonstrate this incredible life-like colour reproduction.

The drone has many features you can access through the phone app.  Taking off and landing in one touch?  Got it.  The controls include a high powered “sport mode” with extra responsive controls, to handle higher wind situations.  If it loses signal or a battery runs too long, it will automatically “return to home” (a point you can set) and land.  Range?  10,000 feet!

Features aside, one thing you can’t appreciate about this drone by reading specs and manuals is just how fun it is to fly.  There is so much satisfaction in pulling the sticks back and starting the motors.  Then pushing the stick forward and watching the drone rise.  Feeling the controls and seeing the response from the drone, as it responds precisely to every movement.  Then letting it loose, and watching it speed confidently away, but always under complete control.  Release the stick, and the drone hovers still, awaiting your next command.

Equally as fun is working with the flawless videos you will capture.  No more editing around shaky moments.  Every detail becomes clear.  In particular, I enjoy discovering details that I didn’t notice while flying.  Whether it’s an accompanying seagull or the vivid deep blue of water, every flight seems to reveal new details about the world around us.

We could talk about the night mode, where you can capture better images in the dark.  We could discuss the Optical Flow Positioning feature, which allows the drone to navigate by its own built-in cameras when the GPS goes out.  There’s even an infrared sensor to measure distances for low-altitude flight.  There’s a GPS follow feature, programmable routes, and more.  Still, there is no topping the sheer satisfaction you get from performing a perfect, flawless manual landing.

After a thorough series of flights, there is only one feature that I wish this drone had.  I love the 5x zoom feature, but I wish there was an external control for it.  You have to tap a button, select “zoom”, and adjust it via the phone screen.  A zoom dial on the side would have been perfect!

If you are ready to take your drone flights to another level (literally) and come back with brilliant 4K footage, then the Ruko F11PRO 2 Plus is what you need.  When you fly it yourself and see the results, you’ll understand.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Ruko U11MINI 4K(RC3) drone

PRODUCT LINK:  Get yours on Amazon today.

RUKO U11MINI 4K(RC3) drone

Interested in flying a drone, but don’t know where to start?  What you need is something easy and intuitive, that doesn’t require registration, and comes with everything you need to get going, in one package.  I present to you the new Ruko U11MINI 4K(RC3) drone.  In one handy case, you can get flying in minutes without having to use your phone.  Because this drone is under 250 grams, you don’t need to register it.

Let’s unpack the convenient carrying case.  Inside you’ll find a paper user manual (always superior to PDF files), your drone, some spare propellers, charging cables, batteries, and the secret weapon:  the RC3 controller with built in 5.5″ screen.  With no need to connect and pair with a phone, the controller connects to the drone automatically on startup.  The antennae fold away neatly, and the controller offers programmable buttons along with the standard controls.  No more worrying about your phone battery, or the phone overheating.

Once you have everything charged to full, you’re ready to get flying.  The drone has a range of up to 6 km, and is able to capture 8K photo resolution and 4K video recording.  Speaking of video, you get a crisp 3-axis brushless gimbal for stable, smooth, and high-quality footage.  You can see a sample video below.

The U11MINI 4K features a cruise control function for easy flying.  It works just like your car – just hit it, and the drone will continue along that flight path and speed.  There is an advanced positioning system, with GPS, a barometric altitude hold, optical flow positioning and TOF positioning for times when the GPS signal is weak.  You’ll achieve more stable low-altitude flight, and smoother landings, as I did on my first flight.  The drone has three speeds:  low, medium and high (“sport mode”).  The sport mode can be used in windier conditions, to give the drone more responsive power.  There is an automatic return to home feature, if the drone loses signal or the battery runs low.

There are several intelligent flight modes.  GPS follow is a common one, allowing the drone to automatically follow your position on the ground.  There are also programmable routes, and an image follow feature.  You can have the drone follow an object that you select on the touch screen.  You can also have it circle around a point of interest.

You can choose to store your video footage on a micro SD card (not included), but you don’t have to.  Videos can be stored on the controller, which can be connected to a Wi-fi network.  From there you can upload your footage to a Google drive account, without having to worry about cards.  This makes the drone extremely attractive for beginners who don’t have extra micro CD cards sitting around.

One of the most underrated features of this drone is the camera zoom feature.  With a simple dial on the side, you can quickly zoom in and out, as demonstrated in the video below.  The simplicity of this control makes you wonder why every drone doesn’t have one.

For beginners, this drone is the ideal, logical launching point.  Grab one on Amazon today, and you’ll be in the air in no time.

5/5 stars

REVIEW: Potensic ATOM 3-Axis Gimbal 4K GPS Drone

Potensic ATOM 3-Axis Gimbal 4K GPS Drone

Welcome drone enthusiasts and newcomers alike!  Thanks for clicking this review.  I hope you find this helpful and informative, as I have had many adventures and misadventures with four of these “under 249 gram” drones now!   This little craft do not require a license to fly.  Let me run you through my backstory with three previous drones, which you can click for more information.

The Ruko’s superior camera was a marked improvement in my drone video quality, no matter how hard they were to fly.  I thought about upgrading my Potensic.  Why not?  You only live once.

One thing about the old ATOM SE’s camera was that it didn’t have a fancy 3-axis gimbal.  What’s that mean?  It means that it couldn’t keep a level picture, with the horizon always…horizontal.  When the drone was flying in wind, it needed to tilt to compensate and stay stationary.  Most of my old ATOM videos have a visibly crooked horizon.  But that’s just the obvious difference.  The 3-axis gimbal gives it an unprecedented smoothness.  All my old videos had jerky movements.  Not anymore.  This camera is like an aerial steady-cam.

It wasn’t all smooth flying.  I had some issues out of the box.  I think one was caused by an uncalibrated controller.  It was veering off to the right upon takeoff, much like the Ruko used to do.  A calibration of the joysticks seemed to fix this.  It also defaulted to a “beginner mode” that I failed to notice and caused some confusion at first.

My second issue happened after a windy flight in Tiverton, Ontario.  I decided to bring the drone down after a few seconds, as the wind was unusually strong.  After a drive home, I was not able to re-connect the drone to the controller.  The drone was acting up, and wouldn’t power down without removing its battery.  I spent days trying to get the two devices to pair.  After a desperate email to Potensic, the problem revealed itself.  They advised me to try a number of things including re-pairing the devices without a memory card inserted.

The drone came with a 64 gig micro CD card (a surprise in itself!) but I decided to use a Gigastone 128 gig card instead.  It was actually my second Gigastone.  The first one failed right out of the box and wouldn’t format.  It turns out, the second Gigastone also failed sometime in the car between Tiverton and Lorne Beach.  Upon removal, the drone and controller paired immediately without issue.  Who knew that the memory card, which is used to store images and videos, was critical to the proper operation?  I mean, you can fly without one.  But throw a bad one in there by mistake, and you will stay grounded.  So there’s a tip for you:  if you’re having issues with your drone, take out the memory card as a first step.  Two Gigastones failed one after another!  Another tip is not to buy a Gigastone 128 gig card.

Once we got all these little details ironed out, the Potensic flew steady and true, just as my original did.  I’ve started to discover new features.  The camera has a zoom!  Pinch and zoom; it’s that simple.  This is going to improve my video making abilities over Lake Huron.

I ordered the option with three batteries.  No matter which version you choose, you will get the equipment you need (minus the micro SD card which only came with the three battery option).  In addition to the controller and all the cables, this version comes with the three batteries (32 minutes life each), and a charging block to simultaneously charge all three batteries and your controller at once!  It all comes in a handy carrying case, with handle.

There are lots of features for me to play with that I haven’t touched yet:  6km transmission distance, visual tracking, pull-away shots, boomerang shots…lots to try out, though I always prefer manual controls.

Check out the videos below and be sure to check back as more are added.  The new Potensic drone is going to drastically improve my video making abilities in 2026.

5/5 stars

 


Calibrating: “SMC” by Def Leppard


Sunrise Test Flight: “Mighty Morris Ten” by Episode Six


High Wind Test Flight: “Next Summer” by Arkells


Final Test Flight & All Bugs Worked Out: “Michigan Left” by Arkells

#1242: How My Brand New Drone Ended Up on the Bottom of Lake Huron

RECORD STORE TALES #1242: How My Brand New Drone Ended Up on the Bottom of Lake Huron

It was like watching time stand still.  First, I heard the motors fall silent.  Then, I watched it begin to fall like a stone.  I calmly and solemnly thought, “There is nothing I can do.  It is going right into the water, and there won’t even be point in fishing it out.  It is what it is.”  It made a satisfying “THONK!” sound as it crashed into the nearby rock pile.  I stood a moment in silence as I considered any options, and concluded there were none, so I turned around and walked the path back up to the cottage.

How did we get here?  Let’s rewind.

In 2024,  I took a chance and indulged myself in my first and most trustworthy drone:  the Potensic Atom SE.  It was a revelation to me, as readers know.  I took the drone to the cottage and flew it over Lake Huron repeatedly.  Stunt flying over the rocks is a treat and results in amazing “feels like flying” video footage.  My review of the Potensic went viral with a modest 4000 views.  It was enough to get the attention of the a company in 2025, who offered to send me their brand new U11Mini 4K in exchange for a review.  It had two advantages over the Potensic that I hoped to exploit.  The first is the 3-axis brushless camera gimble, which enables level images no matter what angle your drone is flying at.  The other is the 4K camera, a step up from the Potensic.  Imagine the video of Lake Huron I could capture with that!


First Flight of 2026 with the Potensic Atom SE drone

I flew the drone twice and wrote a positive review.  I did struggle a bit with the controls, but chalked it up to inexperience.   I expected to get the hang of it, but that never happened.  It was just a really difficult drone to fly, and that did not improve after I wrote the review.  Landing on a specific target was simply impossible, and the drone would fly off on its own without any input from the controls.  I re-calibrated the drone and fiddled with the settings.  It could not hover in place, moved on its own, and crashed into a tree.  I sent an email to the drone company, who asked for my flight logs.  After reviewing them, they sent me a replacement drone.  This arrived in the winter, so I had to wait until spring 2026 to try it.  I fully expected all issues would be resolved.

One thing I noticed about the drone is that it couldn’t handle light winds as well as the Potensic.  The othetrt tends to drift while the Potensic is still as a stone.  I waited for the first quiet morning before removing the second drone from its packaging and preparing it for first flight.  I had already had my first flight of 2026 with the Potensic, which performed up to its exemplary standards.  There was less wind on the morning I tested the drone.  I began in a small clearing as I usually do.  The drone always takes time connecting to the GPS, which is a much faster process with the Potensic.  (On my original copy, there were days it could not connect to GPS at all, and I had to pack it up again.)  Once connected, I started the motors and began to hover.

The new drone was still not as rock-steady as the Potensic, but it was a marked improvement over the original one.  I felt reassured that whatever was wrong with the original drone (they never told me) had been fixed.  I had a very early U11Mini, one of the first in Canada.  It is possible improvements or corrections were made after.  With my new drone now in the air, I marveled at the clarity of the video.  I took it up higher, with the intention of flying it over the lake and capturing those misty greens and blues.

With great care, I drifted slowly over the trees, and down to the beach.  The drone seemed to be performing acceptably.  Time to test the camera.  I wanted to get some footage of the rock piles and compare the quality to the Potensic.  Already, I was impressed with the level camera.  I panned straight down to capture the rocks.  The drone seemed to struggle a little over the rocks.  It lost altitude, so I raised it again.  It started to drift downwards again, so I raised it.   I panned back up to the horizon with the intention to fly back in, when suddenly the motors died.  They just stopped completely, and the drone fell from the sky, into the water and rocks below.


First and Final Flight 2026

“It didn’t cost me anything,” I lamented I walked back up the trail to the cottage.  “Except the memory card!”  I shared the memory card between the Potensic and the new drone, so there would be no more flying at all for me this weekend.

The company advised me not to fly the drone over water, but at this point I have two years’ experience doing just that with my Potensic.  I have a cottage on Lake Huron:  of course that’s what I’m going to film with my drone!  If I cant fly over water, then I’m not interested in a drone.  The Potensic flies like a slalom skier through the rocks, but the drone couldn’t even hover over them.  Even if I chose to ignore the company’s directions, it was with the experience I’ve gained, and the certainty that I would chose the Potensic over the other every time if I couldn’t fly over water.

When the water levels drop in the coming weeks, I’ll walk out to the rocks and fish what remains of my drone from the water.  Maybe some adventurous canoer will have already found it by then.  My experience with the 4k camera and the 3-axis gimble was positive.  Potensic have a drone similar to mine, but with the 4k/3-axis camera option.  It’s pricey (about the same as a super deluxe Rush box set), but I am seriously considering that upgrade.

I have flown three drones to date, and I’m still flying the first.  Now that I have a newer and bigger memory card in hand, I look forward to our further adventures this summer.

Rest in peace, drone, in your watery grave at the bottom of Lake Huron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1222: Replacement Ruko

RECORD STORE TALES #1222: Replacement Ruko

Earlier in 2025, I was sent a new drone to test.  I was very excited to receive my U11Mini 4k drone from Ruko, but struggled to keep it flying straight.  I crashed it once in the summer.  I thought my issues were due to user error, weather, or bad calibration.  I didn’t think it was due to a faulty drone.  I tried it once more in early October.  The flight started well enough, but I lost control of the drone during the return. It started veering to the left and losing altitude. I managed to bring it back to the beach and land it in the sand, but I thought for sure it was going to hit the water or trees.

I figured three strikes and you are out – I didn’t plan to fly the Ruko again, despite its awesome 4k camera and ability to hold a level image even if the drone is flying on a 35 degree angle.  I packed it up.  My dad talked me into changing my mind.

“Why don’t you just contact their customer support?” he asked.

“Because this drone was a free review copy,” I answered simply.   “I did the review and gave it a passing mark.”  As a creative individual, I like to make my own videos, and edit them how I please.  Working with Ruko, they encouraged me to film different landmarks and objects from the drone.  I prefer working independently on my videos, so I didn’t really want to go back to them.  Yet, my dad was right.  What harm could come from submitting a ticket for customer support?

Ruko came through.  All they asked for was the flight log for the most recent video where I encountered troubles. You can see in the video below, I flew fine and straight for the outbound flight. Upon my return, the drone started veering off to the left, and losing altitude. I could not control it, but barely managed to land it in the sand without hitting the water, rocks, or trees. Ruko had a look at the flight log and determined that it was not user error. They offered to send me a new drone!

“Just the bare drone,” they said, and I agreed.  I didn’t need new batteries, a new case, or a new controller.  Just the drone itself.

Two days later, there was a parcel!  And it wasn’t just the bare drone.  It was the whole package – cables, case, batteries, controller, and everything else you need.  I now had two complete drone sets, one that didn’t work and one that was brand new out of the box!

The only unfortunate thing is the time of year.  I let Ruko know that in Canada, it was fall turning into winter, and the window for good flying days was over.  They said “no problem”.

While I still have not had a chance to test the new Ruko drone, I can give their customer service a 5/5 star rating.  Fast, hassle-free and helpful.  Hopefully I will get a chance to fly again before the spring.  If not, thank you Ruko and we’ll see you next year!

 

CRASH!  Language!

VIDEO: “Mystery” by Dio / Ruko Over Lorne Beach

The flight started well enough, but I lost control of the drone during the return, right around the guitar solo (Vivian Campbell). It started veering to the left and losing altitude. I managed to bring it back to the beach and land it in the sand, but I thought for sure it was going to hit the water or trees. Why? It’s a “Mystery”!

To its credit, the Ruko U11MINI 4K gets incredible images with its always-level camera.

The water levels are heading back to their low point. It is a 20 year cycle. It does create beautiful imagery. Enjoy the flight.

Mystery (Dio/Bain)
From The Last In Line (1984)

Can you hear me
can you see
there’s a storm on the edge of the sky
does it matter
it does to me, i can tell you why
When there’s thunder, there should be rain
but it don’t always follow the rule
and is the wise man always right?
no he can play the fool
It’s always a mystery, not what it seems to be
it’s always a mystery, just like you and me
We are lightning
we are flame
and we burn at the touch of a spark
if there’s fire, but no one sees
the there’s only the dark
Just imagine, will you try
i can see that you’ve opened your mind
silver linings can disappear, but they always shine
It’s always a mystery, not what it seems to be
it’s always a mystery, just like you and me

#1200: Birthdays, Castles & Cornfields

RECORD STORE TALES #1200:  Birthdays, Castles and Cornfields

My goal when making drone videos is never to invade privacy, only to make cool videos of the things around me.  Ever since 2022, Jen and I have been driving past this cool “castle” in the middle of nowhere.  We have stopped to take pictures because it is such a whimsical looking place.  I have long wanted to do a drone video of the castle we once called Deke’s Palace.

I woke up around 5:30 AM on my birthday.  I chatted with friends and enjoyed a birthday steak for breakfast.  I thought about driving somewhere to make a drone video.  Around 8:00 I decided to wake up Jen and make a run into town.  I packed up my Potensic drone and made our way up to the castle.  We waited for three cars to pass, and then I was airborne.  I saw no vehicles for the entire flight, but I did soar close enough to the castle to see its ramparts, battlements, and three turrets.  I also hovered over a winding river, and zoomed low over a cornfield.

I always like to try to accomplish something new creatively when I can, and this counts as a brand new location.  I am very happy with the resultant video.

After my flight, we went into the essential hobby store Leisure World, and I treated myself to a birthday gift.

Simply a wonderful birthday, enjoyed in the best place in the world.

3 Drone Videos from the Potensic Atom SE

These three drone videos are the edited-down results of everything I shot on the weekend of July 4-6.  All videos were shot with the Potensic Atom SE.  I brought both the Potensic and the Ruko, but as you can see, it was a very windy weekend and I did not want to risk the Ruko.  Next weekend, I will attempt to fly the Ruko again.

Enjoy these magnificent videos, and amazing songs by Deep Purple, Hello Hopeless and the Arkells.

 

#1197: Moose Sausage & Mental Health

RECORD STORE TALES #1197: Moose Sausage & Mental Health

Summer is well on its way.  I’ve waited a long time to get here.

I love doing live broadcasts from the cottage.  This weekend was going to be packed full, just like our bags and boxes that we loaded in the car for our first trip of July.  We hit the road at 4:30 on Thursday.  Preparing for Friday’s live episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden, we played all of Live at Donington on the way to the lake.  Not necessarily the best album for a lake drive, but Jen liked it, and it helped me prepare a little bit extra for the show.

Thursday night was peaceful, but hot.  There was not much to do but play music on the porch.  I cued up Tonight At Toad’s Place by Blotto, and started working on some show-related writing.  Dr. Kathryn came over for a quick visit.  We gossiped a bit about people we used to know, and after dark I shut it down for the night.  Friday was going to be a fun day for us.

I began my Friday morning by cooking up a delicious moose sausage, and editing a new episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  I wanted to do minimal editing, just to fix a couple spots with issues, but I ended up having a little more fun with it.  At 8 AM we left for the butcher (The Beefway) and bought two steaks, a chicken breast, some lamb chops, and the best bacon I’ve ever cooked in my life.  This extra thick cut bacon was so soft and sweet.  It led me to an idea.

Canadian breakfast:  moose sausage & mayo on a bun, with coffee.

We were going to do roasted potatoes on the BBQ.  Jen likes to stuff hers with butter, but I had a different idea.  I sliced up some fatty parts of the bacon and stuffed my potato with that.  The end result was a delicious potato that tasted like a Smokey Bacon BBQ potato chip.  The bacon pieces inside were soft and melted like butter in your mouth.  A new masterpiece, but one that I feel I can only do with the exact right bacon.  It has to be cut thick with lots of fat.  And it worked beautifully.

The lamb, chicken and steaks also turned out really well.  I did up some stuffed peppers with cream cheese, green onions and more bacon.  The chicken breast ended up being the best one I’d ever made.  The Beefway simply have the best food, and I have to admit I’m not too bad a chef myself.  I used about half a bottle of BBQ sauce on one chicken breast, but that’s because I wanted it perfectly and completely coated.  It came out so juicy and flavorful.  Grocery store chicken seems to have a weird preservative taste these days.  Not the stuff from the Beefway!

Friday night’s episode of 50 Years of Iron Maiden went really well.  It was our first live episode in quite a while, but I am glad that Harrison and I still have the skills.  A surprise came that night:  a donation!  Our very first donation!  Viewer Ryan Potter had this to say:

Thanks for this series guys! I’ve been enjoying revisiting these albums and going through my Maiden Collection with each episode.

Thank you Ryan for this first-ever thank-you.  If we ever felt like we were not doing as good a job as we want to, Ryan’s comment will remind us that we’re doing just fine.

Friday was a difficult episode, because we had to review four CDs of Iron Maiden:  A Real Live One, A Real Dead One, and Live at Donington (2 CDs).  There were also two CD singles with an additional three bonus tracks to tackle.  It required a lot of listening and a lot of notes, but Harrison and I managed to cover it all between the two of us.  A proud night.

Friday night’s broadcast location for 50 Years of Iron Maiden.

But that was just the beginning for our live streaming adventures on the weekend.

Jex Russell, my “other” main co-host for many moons in the past, has been dealing with life lately.  He recently had some free time come up, and said to me, “I’m ready.  I want to do a live show.  I want to tell people where I have been and what I’ve been up to.  Let’s call it Ask Jex Anything and we’ll discuss mental health.”

I loved this idea.

We discussed when to go live.  I was pushing for 8 AM Saturday morning, based on a past show we did in that time slot together.  Mostly though, I didn’t want to do two live shows during prime cottage hours.  One was fine.  Two would be spending too much time on a screen during the best time of day.  Jex was hesitant.  What’s the point of an “Ask Jex Anything” episode if there’s nobody watching to ask?  I crossed my fingers and set up the broadcast from my favourite spot:  fireside.  I gathered the firewood and a Canadian flag for an epic backdrop.  I waited for 8 AM to come.

I think I had pretty much the best broadcast desk of any music show on YouTube today. You can get Pete Pardo with his wall of CDs behind him, or a “Hair Metal Guru” with loads of memorabilia, but nobody else in music had a backdrop like mine.  A roaring fire, a Canadian flag, and nature.  A few people walking down the road were wondering why this guy was out at 8 AM, talking on a laptop, at a computer desk in the middle of a beautiful green enclave.  Why?  Because it’s awesome!

Saturday’s office.

I had confidence that we would do a good show, viewers or no viewers.  We always do.

It didn’t take long for the viewers to show up, and for Jex and I to open up, about mental health, music and balance.  The questions began pouring in, and I could not keep up with the comments.  Some people woke up early just to watch this special episode of Grab A Stack of Rock.  Johnny Clauser and Tim Durling joined as surprise guests to share their own stories.  Confessions were made, and I told a chapter of my story that I have never revealed before.  Not even in Record Store Tales.

I believe that Satuday’s show, Ask Jex Anything: Music and Mental Health, is the most important episode we’ve ever done.  Much to Jex’s relief, we had great views.  Even exceeding the previous night’s 50 Years of Iron Maiden.  We are very, very proud.

It ended up being a very good decision to go live in the morning.  Black Sabbath were playing their final concert that afternoon.  Everybody would be watching that, had we decided to go live later on.  The morning show was a blessing.

From that point on, Saturday was ours to enjoy.  It got hot – very hot.  Eventually we went into town to get some air conditioning and soda pop.  Staying cool was a challenge, and it prevented me from doing too much that day.  No writing completed.

Droning on.

I did get to fly my drone a bit.  I chose to fly my original drone, the Potensic.  It is the better drone for stunt flying, and I made a few great videos.  I still have to edit these.  I managed to get one uploaded, which is “Nothing At All” by Deep Purple, to the visuals of a Lake Huron sunrise.

Sunday morning was time to pack our bags and head home.   My mood crashed that day.  It was an uncanny feeling of autumn; of “back to school”, even though it was only July.  I could not shake that depressed feeling.  We listened to April Wine on the way home because I wanted music that I was less familiar with.  “All Over Town” is my new favourite song, but the crash hit me hard.

We tried to cheer me up by ordering in a nice dinner (The Burgers Priest), but failed.  I woke up Monday morning unable to get out of bed.  I lay there for hours, tired and worn out.  I worked from home on Monday.  In the old days I would have gone to work and felt worse and worse as the day went on.  This time I managed.  It is nice to have those options to work from home.  It saved my Monday.

A beautiful weekend was had, despite the crash at the end.  We’ll be back for my birthday.  Close yet far!