Wildlife and death of a camera.

Hello friends and family,

My trusty Canon S90 camera is... dead. What's a blog without pictures? When I wield my pen (or computer keyboard) it is not mighty like a sword. More like cutting with a Popsicle stick. Because of my lack of writing skill I rely heavily on pictures to get my point across.

Yesterday I took the twins for a walk on the trails by Ouma and Oupa's house. A park bench is strategically placed to provide a quick rest for sick three-year-olds who are getting healthy. I asked them to sit next to each other and act like best friends.


Layla normally walks on the retaining wall, but this time Easton joined in with his ever-increasing confidence and balance.


We walked the long way around the path and as we passed the shopping center Layla and Easton simultaneously said, "I'm hungry!". We just ate an hour prior to our walk, but they are growing kids and I had nothing but time to hang out with them.

Our snack of chips and beans and cheese hit the spot. When I say, "show me your cute face" the twins used to respond by tilting their heads to the side and smiling. Layla followed directions with a Pavlovian response. Easton broke ranks and lunged forward with a subdued T-rex roar.


On our nature walks we've seen beetles, hornets, squirrels, birds, ants, and many other critters. Now we can add lizard to the list. This poor guy didn't know what hit him. Normally Layla charges feet first with a stomp aimed directly at whatever vermin is in the spotlight. I convinced her to walk sloooowly up to unsuspecting creatures because we can get a closer view.


and then... tragedy struck! We passed by the flower bed in front of Ouma and Oupa's neighborhood entrance where I imagined a sweet picture of Easton and Layla sitting next to each other with copious amounts of colorful flowers in the background.

Easton and Layla sat down with a smile. I grabbed by camera to take the shot quickly before something shiny passed by. Layla dug both hands into the flower bed dirt and Easton yelled, "beetle!". I fumbled around with my words and camera trying desperately to get the twins out of the dirt. My camera fell right out of my hands lens-first on the sidewalk. It's dead. power no worky worky.

I can do without a camera for a few days, but I've been blogging and taking thousands of pictures for almost 3.5 years. The thought of being without a camera for a month while it gets fixed is terrifying to me. We have some awesome adventures coming up in the next few weeks and Ouma's point-n-shoot just won't cut it for me.

One of the things Uncle Dave taught me was to always buy the extended warranty on things that have a good chance of breaking. Because of his sage advice I always get the longest most comprehensive warranty possible.

My Canon S90 has about 5 months left and luckily I had full coverage (including dunce moves like dropping it on the pavement). I could have just bought the newer model of the S90 and called it a day. Then I saw the Canon Rebel EOS T3 DSLR on sale. Considering I take about 7,000 pictures per year it was easy to justify the extra dollars required to step it up a notch.

Now, if a guy like me proves I can't handle a camera like an S90 without dropping it, what should I do? Ah, of course... go buy a more expensive camera because I have such a great track record. duh. Here's the box of my new toy.


I can't very well take a picture of my camera since I only have one so you'll just have to take my word for it and see the box instead.

The day after getting a new camera it rains. in June. all day. The silver lining to the cloud is that I found the perfect subject to capture with my new camera. It's a snail and everyone knows there is nothing slower than a snail.


I had all the time in the world to play with the adjustments as the snail slowly puttered across the sidewalk. The macro mode worked perfectly and the quality of the image is stunning to say the least.

Poor Ouma caught whatever nasty virus Easton and Layla contracted so she isn't feeling well. Even so she had enough energy to play with the twins for a long time after dinner so I could do silly things like take pictures of the action packed household.


Kendra and Oupa went to Neill and Ginny's for Bible study and social time. The cool, gloomy day was a rare treat for NorCal in June. I was so happy to see the clouds and walk around outside with the rain steadily coming down. The view from Ouma and Oupa's backyard shows the ominous fog and dreary day. It may seem strange for me to be so excited about a day like this, but living in Phoenix turns these opportunities into a novelty.


The other novelty is my chance to train with the Korean Government's Taekwondo demonstration team. Their master had an EOS Canon DSLR similar to mine so we had a conversation piece right off the bat. He agreed to take a picture, which is the only picture of me with my black belt since I first earned it.


There it is. Proof I'm the real deal, certified, practicing black belt in Taekwondo. I'm not bragging, just proud of myself for sticking with something and continuing the journey to improve my skill and knowledge. This gives additional meaning to the phrase, "seeking balance in life".

And now, a moment of silence for the dead S90 camera. RIP.
...

See you soon!