Thursday, June 5, 2014

once I had a camera


and I took pictures.
All the time.
Sometimes for publication, sometimes for galleries.
Sometimes because I had a camera in my hand.

Here's one:

The view from Loro, Lusitano stallion.  Portugal, 2006.

Now, my little camera is in the hands of the Repair Specialists.
They are Assessing the Failure.

At this point, my biggest concern is that they will press the ON button,
and because the camera will fire up, they will say,
"We have fixed this camera! Send it back."
Because by the time I managed to ship it off, it would turn on again. 
And I thought, "It has fixed itself! Huzzah!"

Then I took a snap and noticed a foggy spot in the frame. 
And I looked into the lens and saw not just condensation, but actual water 
sloshing gently back and forth at the bottom of the lens.
Speaking as a photographer: It was creepy.

By comparison: this water is not creepy.  Maine, 2010.

Well, all I can do now is wait.
And I am sorry there have been no posts,
but apparently I can't string more than 140 characters together
without the spark of images.
Never really noticed it before, because I always have images.

Today, in mild desperation, I went spelunking on a flashdrive,
to find a few snaps to share
so I could write a post, however out of sync.
Welcome to that post!
Stay with me if you can; there's a treat at the end.

~~~

In other repair-related news:
farewell, thousand-dollar breadbox...
and welcome back, my beautiful oven!!!

Here's how it happened:

The appliance store failed to send me a bill for the service call back in February. The outcome of the service call (= non-functional oven) and lack of follow-through from the store (= getting no closer to having a functional oven) was obviously not what I had hoped for. Still, I felt responsible for the cost of a service call, and expected a bill. So when I was in town one day recently, I stopped in at the store, checkbook in hand.

While I quickly reviewed the Sad Story of the Stove for the manager, the service tech happened to overhear me. He asked a question. Then he looked thoughtful. Then he said he wanted to come out again and have another look, "just in case."

And he did. And he tested a different part than what the original error code had told him to check the first time. And got an odd measurement on his metering device. Suddenly, everything fell into place. (For him, not me. I was just pacing back and forth and trying not to hope but actually hoping very, very hard.) This different part was working well below its proper range which made the thermogizmo think the stove was more or less on fire and therefore the fan was on all the time and the failsafe device that keeps an eejit from using the stove when it's already on fire would not let the control panel respond to input.

(Paraphrasing.)

Anyway, the technician replaced the low-functioning part, and I turned on the power, and my oven was working again.

Can you believe it?

Ninety dollars.

Fixed.

(Cue the Hallelujah Chorus!)

I immediately went out and bought gruyere and heavy cream and a head of cauliflower, and made my favorite baked cauliflower dish. It was lovely. No picture, of course. Sorry.

Also no pictures of the subsequent mushroom quiche, bread pudding, or cranberry cake.

But here's a nice snap of some bowls in my kitchen, taken three years ago:

These bowls are white. Like my oven.

~~~
Still with me?

Finally, to wrap up this disjointed and oddly-illustrated post,
I strongly encourage you to click this link
to read a letter written by E.B. White in 1951.
It is in response to a complaint from the ASPCA
regarding the licensing of White's dachshund, Minnie.
I promise you, this letter will make you laugh.
Promise.
~~~~~

17 comments:

  1. I totally understand how it's hard to post without pictures. I'm the same way. And, like you, I need the photos to get the words to flow. In fact, I even need my title before I can start writing. Good luck with your camera! I hope they can fix it quickly so you can start snapping photos again soon. That's great news about your oven! Yay!

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    Replies
    1. Fingers crossed on the camera! I got an email saying it will take "longer than estimated" because parts had to be ordered. Possibly little camera galoshes.

      Delete
  2. I am the same way. My photos trigger the words. I sure hope that your camera turns out to be as easy to fix as the oven was. Yay for the Oven!!!

    You're right. That E.B. White letter made me laugh out loud!

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    Replies
    1. Isn't that a great letter? The part about the Spring peepers in Maine cracked me up, too.

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  3. Anyone who can take such gorgeous photos as you can should have a spare camera so that you are never without one in working order!

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  4. I so feel for you. I'd be lost without a camera. Luckily I have a few.

    And yes, me too ... no pics no post ... I need the visual prompt. It's why I sometimes use vintage images ... I love them and they fill a gap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very good point, Annie! I actually have a pinterest folder of illustrations, from which I occasionally choose one to use on the blog. But it had not occurred to me that I might need to use them for an entire post...such hubris!
      Thanks for the tip :)

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  5. From the sublime photos to a hilarious contrast, I give you:
    "http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/baby-goat-stampede_n_5475001.html"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing that link! And I sure hope that last little straggler didn't get mowed down by the horde on their way back to the barn :)

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  6. Beautiful photos, Quinn and SO happy with you and for you re. the oven! Late last year, I lost, misplaced my P&S camera which caused, still does actually, consternation. A camera and I are like some folks and cigs...dang near always one in my hand. Finally, two nights ago, I awoke in the dark hours and smelled...my cauliflower which was in the oven, roasting...for hours and hours. It's a burnt mess and I despise wasting food...feel so foolish but what can I expect with this memory and no reminders? boo hoo and lam (laughing at myself).

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  7. p.s. you're right...FUNNY letter and Oh so true...still.

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  8. This post made me laugh! At least you are staying positive about everything. Love the Maine water photo. Hope you get your camera back soon.

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  9. Thanks :) The last time I called for a progress report, I was told a replacement part was on it's way...apparently it's coming from a faraway place. Very, very faraway. It's already long past the original "estimated time for repair," but my fingers are crossed for this week.

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  10. Very quiet around here. Are you okay, Q? or is rl just taking all your time and energy at the moment?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for checking, Boud! It has been a bit challenging around here lately, and I haven't been online nearly as much as usual. But if I had the camera I'd probably be writing about the challenges! Two days ago, I got an email saying the camera is en route - huzzah! Just checked UPS: delivery is scheduled for the 25th. Arghhh.

      Delete
  11. I totally get what you're saying about the photos-they do spark creative juices!! YAY for the oven. Hopefully there will be a YAY for the camera too.

    And I LOVED the letter. It fit perfectly into my crazy messed up day LOL : )

    ReplyDelete

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