Town Point Landing

Yesterday I drove to the public landing below the Court House (otherwise known on maps and signs as Town Point Landing)to go for a brief jog.

The heat wasn't oppressive, but the sun was just high enough to make a prolonged jog feel like prolonged agony. No sense in overexerting one's self unnecessarily, that's what I always say.

After some brutally hot days last week, this weekend's moderate temperatures were a welcome relief.

The pleasant weather and little bit of idle time gave me the courage inspired me to tinker with my camera, which as of last week abruptly informed me it quit without even the common courtesy of two weeks notice. It just up and quit. Just like that.

If I didn't love that camera so much, I'd call it insolent.

Before giving up and declaring my camera officially fired dead, I tried new batteries.

No fewer than three different sets, to be exact.

Yep.

While most people would have given up after the first failed attempt, most people do not have loose batteries rolling around in the bottom of their camera bag, some of which may have been tossed there after dying in the middle of something; others of which are perfectly new, never used. Commingling unabashedly with the dead ones.

(CBW is one of the most scatterbrained unorganized people you'll ever meet, unlike some people she knows who keep spreadsheets detailing the last time they received a hair cut, how much it cost, and how long said hair cut lasted before having to go for another one. CBW only wishes she were making this up. She will go to her grave mystified by such people. However, these same people would never dream of having dead batteries anywhere near fresh batteries, much less rolling around loose having parties together in the bottom of a camera bag. So there's that. )

Anyway.

For now the camera is working. We shall see.

In other news, only a few long short weeks stand between CBW and the annual Griswold family vacation, which is the one precious week a year that a very comfortable distance is created between her and aggravation major responsibilities.

Hopefully you have something fun and/or different to look forward to in the coming weeks that will create a break from your normal routine.

Sky

Sunrise on Queens Creek

These were taken in quick succession a few weeks ago. It's amazing how quickly the sky changes when the sun is rising or setting. Sometimes in the 30 seconds it takes to locate my camera and dash outside, what I intended to capture has vanished.

Speaking of my camera, I am loath to report that mine is acting up again, and that's an understatement.  For the time being I'm in denial that anything serious can possibly be wrong, especially since only recently I sent it and $100 to Canon to repair another major problem.

The stages of CBW coping with an issue as large as this are as follows:

1. Denial
2. More denial.
3. Crying Whining.
4. Paralysis (Or an inability to address the problem even if no longer denying one exists.)
5. More Whining.
6. Frustration. And lots of kettle-cooked potato chips.
7. Something Needs To Happen (Because potato chips denial and whining aren't working. This is not to be confused with acceptance. CBW considers a broken camera an absolutely unacceptable part of her life.)

Currently I'm only in Stage 2. I've convinced myself that if the batteries (which I just changed last week) are replaced, the camera will be just fine.

At some point after reaching Stage 7 (which could takes weeks), I will send the camera back to Canon--again. However, I refuse to spend another $100 for them to fix it.

It might be time for Plan B, which entails high-powered rifles because I do not do well with change and just want my old camera to work properly retiring my favorite camera forever.

Please pass the kettle chips tissues.

Regardless of all this whining, I intend to make the best of the weekend, which is upon us once again. Have a great one, and thanks for stopping by.

Blue Skies

These shots, from a brief trip to Haven Beach,

were taken using my faithful camera, which arrived

home from the Canon repair shop earlier this week.

Good as new.

Here's to a weekend of blue skies.

Buttercups

These first two shots of a field of buttercups at James Store hill in Gloucester were taken with my loaner camera.*  


Buttercups are an aggravation in my yard where they flourish; but they're pretty when they're flourishing like a sea of yellow in someone else's soybean field on the side of busy Route 14.

The buttercup below (with the white shirt and green headband at the "draw" of the lacrosse game) is my daughter.

I only know it's called the draw because I asked her this evening. Otherwise I would have called it The Opening Move. Or The Kickoff. (Not that there's any kicking involved.) The rules of lacrosse are essentially lost on me, however one thing I do know is there's lots and lots and lots and lots of running involved. Unless you're the goalie. Then, all you have to worry about is the pressure of the entire game resting on your tiny shoulders. That's all.

She's in the throes of lacrosse season now and the team is doing very well. Saturday there's an all day tournament at Ware Academy where she'll play four games.

One game of lacrosse is enough to wear anyone out, but four? On a warm Saturday? A team of eighth graders? And a daughter who gives every game her all? I'm already declaring exhaustion and Game One has not yet been watched played.

My buttercup of a daughter is just about as incredible in lacrosse as she is in basketball.
Watching her play brings me a great deal of joy.
Her coach (in shorts) in the background played for William and Mary.

In other news pretty much unrelated to buttercups, my mother has written a post about the Chesapeake Bay Sisters, who convened over the weekend and laughed heartily at the latest misadventures of Baby and Middle Sister. (Click here for that post along with some very unfortunate photos that display some of the worst 1970s-era clothing that ever was.)

* Canon sent my beloved camera back last night. However, due to a crazy schedule I've not had a chance to test it out and won't until the weekend. But at least it's home where it belongs, and this makes me very happy.

Wisteria

Last Thursday I drove from Mathews to King William for my son's track meet and brought my loaner camera along for the ride.

On the way out of the county just before Dutton I glanced through the rear view mirror and noticed the wisteria growing up the side of this wonderful old structure.

So I pulled over in the little dirt turnaround in front of the building below and snapped these few shots.

My mother lived near here as a child and can perhaps provide additional details or memories about the area.


I've always been drawn to the old buildings.

Unrelated to the Dutton area but along the lines of old buildings draped with wisteria, below is an image from 2010 taken with my Beloved Camera, which is currently in the repair shop.

(With any luck, it will be back home and by my side within two weeks.)

A 2010 photo of an old store hiding behind a trailer
on Route 14 across from the state shed.

Click here for the May 2010 post about wisteria and the photo above.

May your week be as cheerful and hopeful as the lilac-purple flowers on the upward climbing vine otherwise known as wisteria.

Images from the Past

April 2009

April 2009

April 2011

March 2010

May 2011

May 2008

May 2008

May 2008

June 2008

June 2008

Have a fantastic weekend.

Tunnel Vision

These were taken Thursday from the public landing at Onemo.

Although I've photographed these same sights a million times before, this marks the first time using the loaner camera.  Since I don't do well with change, we're still struggling to get to know each other, the loaner and I.

(I get on its last nerve and it plucks mine, but eventually we come to some sort of agreement and manage to take a picture or two. Ann Marie can tell you how long it took me to learn how to turn the thing on; most of that was due to my using the wrong batteries and other issues related to inattention to details sprinkled with a heavy, heavy dose of impatience.)

I hope you enjoy a great weekend, free of struggles and plucked nerves.  

Three Things

Click the image to see the fine print on this sign.

Today is Thursday, which on this blog is dedicated to sharing three things. 

1.  The sign above, at the end of the dock at the Sea Breeze on Gwynn's Island, defines no wake as "the slowest possible speed required to maintain steerage and headway."  That definition also applies to my general pace most any given day of the week--particularly when jogging. Or driving down the Colonial Parkway.

2.  This picture represents one of the very first taken using a camera on loan from Ann Marie. Today I will send my precious BFF camera off to Canon in the hopes they can repair it.  (We shall see, I'm not optimistic.)  Thanks for the loaner, Ann Marie!

3. My son is hosting another gathering at the house Friday evening.  In preparation, he purchased black lights and neon paint for the basement, which is already rigged up with Christmas lights and a disco ball.  For purposes of self-preservation and the delusion illusion of sanity, I refuse to think about what might possibly go on down there besides skateboarding and ripsticking.  (Click here if you are not acquainted with the ripstick, which naturally I've called a dipstick since I first heard the word.)  Only six teenagers will be here--at least according to today's version of The Plan. Of course I'll be checking on them periodically. There's actually no reason to suspect anything untoward will be going on.

But still...a peaceful, relaxing Friday night does not appear to be in my future.  (All things considered, I'd much rather they be here than elsewhere. I'll catch up on sleep and rest my first night in the nursing home, which is liable to be before I turn 48 50.)

Now it's your turn.  Please share your thoughts, three if you feel like it, more if you want.  Or less. We're easygoing here.


If you can't think of anything, perhaps you could tell me which camera to get if Canon asks for an arm and a leg to fix my existing Power Shot S5IS.  Keep in mind I do not read instruction manuals and know nothing about photography or operating a camera that isn't in Auto or Sports mode. I really love my little Canon and don't suffer change well.


Or perhaps you could tell me something to take my mind off teenagers in a dimly lit basement with loud music and more loud music.  Serenity now.

Three Things

On Thursdays I give myself and anyone reading permission to spout off three random things, even though most everything written here on any given day is a volcanic eruption of random thoughts. Thursdays are different. The randomness is encouraged, allowed, supported, and expected.

I'll go first.

1. Photographs from the organizers of Saturday's 10K race came in an email last night--available, of course, for purchase. Why in the world I'd want a picture of myself struggling across the finish line after running 6.2 miles in the rain while wearing a crab hat is well beyond my comprehension. I'd have to be insane to actually pay money for such a monstrosity. No. Thank you very much.

2. The dogwoods are bursting with blooms this week. My drive to and from work on the Colonial Parkway, a leisurely, highly-enforced 45 mph drive which overlooks the York River, is made even more pleasant by these beautiful white blooms sprinkled throughout.

3. Depending on how much my camera costs to be repaired, I may have to buy a new one. Initial reports back from Canon indicate that I have an older/outdated model that may not be worth repairing. (What Canon doesn't understand is that everything I own is outdated. Cell phone? Circa Car Phone Era. Have to tap out text messages like Morse Code. No keyboard, just a number pad. I can only function with outdated stuff. Everything else is too confusing. By the way, the camera they call "old" is only 5 years old. Even if a camera's age is measured in dog years, that's still young. But of course the chances of a camera's technological life and a dog's life being measured equally are, well, OK FINE. My camera is old.)

Until I acquire a new or (likely) refurbished camera, you can expect one of two things on this blog: a month or more of pictures from my crabbing adventure and/or recycled photos from the past 4-5 years.

Now it's your turn to share three things no matter how ludicrous outdated random they may seem.  I love to hear from you, even if you only have one thing to say. We really have no rules here.

Sea Gulls

Pardon these not so great shots of some seagulls down at Bethel Beach.  For starters, I'm not very good at action shots. Also, these birds were actually very far away, and the zoom on my camera doesn't usually produce very good photos even when the camera is working properly.

However, the camera isn't really working properly, and as a result I never know if a shot will be too dark (as a couple of these are) or full of glare (as several of these are).

It's basically anyone's guess how shots like these will turn out.  A more motivated, disciplined person would have sent the camera off for repair a long time ago.

I confess that not only am I completely unmotivated and utterly undisciplined, I am mortified of putting my camera in the mail because it's so important to me.

In the meantime I just pretend nothing's wrong and hope it will magically fix itself--just like everything else on my In Need of Repair list, which stretches from here to the Eastern Shore and back.

I'll worry about all that another day.

As for today, hope your day is a good one.

Sunrise

Sunrise on Queens Creek

These were taken as I was getting ready for work one recent morning.

Although there wasn't much light yet, these are still darker than they ought to be.

That's because there's a problem with my most prized possession, the one thing that consistently brings me joy, my buddy, my pal, my comrade, my best friend, my steadfast companion my beloved camera.

Alas, although I can still take pictures, and occasionally they come out OK, I learned yesterday (after spending some time on the Canon website) that there's a problem which requires me to send the camera in for repair or drive ten thousand many, many miles to the nearest repair shop.

I will probably drive it to a repair shop, except with everything going on, that likely won't happen for a couple of weeks.

So, unless a miracle happens, you can probably expect some recycled photos here starting next week.

Excuse me while I burst into tears do my best to forget all about the fact that I am supposed to take pictures at the state cross country meet this weekend.

Have a great weekend.