this and that - oregon jan 2015, part 2

I came across this Manfrotto tripod at Costco a while before Christmas. At first it was more of a curiosity. It seems  a common compact design but it caught my eyes because of a number of unusual features that stood out. I was expecting another cheap low cost tripod at the warehouse store. I played with it a bit but someone has already managed to damage the articulating ball-head that I could not tell how to lock it. I would left the store without thinking much of it.


A few days later I was shopping on Amazon and for no reason I decided to search for it. It is called Befree Compact tripod and I was surprised the hefty discounted price at Costco over Amazon. I already have a very good full size graphite tripod made also by Manfrotto. After carefully reviewing the features, weight, and dimensions, I picked one up in my next trip to Costco thinking I can always return it. My intention is to carry it in Brunnhilde due to it's compactness. I have carry my full size Manfrotto but often I found it take up too much precious space in the compact motorhome.


for a compact tripod this is the steadiest i have ever laid my hands on

first is the unique space-saving design; the legs folds 180 degrees by embracing the vertical height sliding arm and the ball-head

the ball-head uses the standard Manfrotto cam-lock plate; a system that I have been using on my cameras for years

the ball-head is a scaled down version of the full size ones but still very sturdy; the cam lock lever does not have the toggle secure of the full size one; instead you have to press the lever every time when inserting and removing the camera from the ball-head

while there is little reason to remove the ball-head; it can be done easily

and it is still made in Italy

on the top of each leg is the 3-position levers - normal leg spread, wide leg spread, and fold 180 degree for storage; such clever design

 holds my Canon 7d securely

 here is the wide spread configuration allowing the camera to sit very low to the ground

it weights in just slightly over 3 pounds compared to about 4.5 of my full size graphite setup; if that is too heavy for you there is a graphite version of the Befree compact tripod that cost 3x more

here you see the significant difference on the folded up configuration

I was skeptic initially. After purchasing it and played with it it is definitely a gem of a compact tripod. 3.5 pound is still quite heavy for travelling but to beat the weight to performance ratio the only alternative is going with the graphite version, or compromise with a monopod.

still slowly eating through the big pot of seafood gumbo that i made

the pot of gumbo seems so much work and effort to make but once you make a big batch you can enjoy it days on end; i take out the whole pot to bring to a boil every few days so it does not spoil

 this gumbo is so good

making fried boulin balls for the first time with some left over boulin stuffing

straining the pork bone broth with a Chinois (Chinese hat) for making soup noodles

this is made with Thai rice noodle - my favorite brand is Wai Wai (cheap and consistently good)

the slow braised pork - like used in Japanese ramen

out of whim i sprinkled some roasted garlic bits on top

here is another variation with clams, mussel, Taiwanese cabbage added - soup noodles like this is my regular staple for their versatility; i seldom make ramen because i think the wheat noodles make you fat

experimenting with salted cabbage for preserving; after salted in brine they are left to air or sun dry

i have this pummelo 柚子sitting in my family room and every time i walk by i can smell the nice citric fragrance the skin emits; Chinese saves the skin by air drying it, for used for cooking with

my struggle to learn German continues - starts with the most elemental...