Last
fall on our one-day trip to a wilderness venue called Indian Post Office, I
unfortunately dropped our camera, the Nikon Coolpix P60. It slipped right out
of the case and onto the ground from a distance of some three feet, but that
was enough to begin its slow decline. Then at another geocaching site, I
dropped it again, and that was enough to seal its demise. We continued to use
it, off and on, but its condition deteriorated to the point we really needed to
replace it. 
“This
has been a good camera,” Mike said to the sales associate, “but we drop it.” (At least he didn't say, "but my wife here drops it.")
“Here’s
what you need,” she said, handing him the Nikon AW100, explaining that it’s
waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof. It doesn’t have the viewfinder, which we
have appreciated in the P60, but Nikon no longer makes the P60 anyway. If we
want that viewfinder, we have to pay more for a bigger camera we really don’t
want.
The
shockproof camera was appealing all right. And it comes in a nice bright
orange, so I figure if Mike loses it in tall grass -- hey, it’s happened! -- we
have a 50-50 chance (the back side is black) that he’ll be able to find it.
So
after some weeks of studying the pros and cons, asking opinions of busy people,
etc., we chose the AW100. Mike has been reading the detailed manual and finally
concluded that perhaps the camera has more features than we’ll ever use. The
real problem is that we probably won’t remember it even has those features.
Me? I prefer the "hands-on" approach. I’ve just been taking pictures. Maybe I’ll read the “quick start” guide.
So, photos on this post were taken with the new AW100 during our weekend at the farm -- landscapes and landmarks which have
come to be familiar here.
[The first three pictures I took on yesterday's walk to the mailbox and illustrate spring yellows. Photo 4 is of the wild rose Hallie pruned last fall. It's sporting a couple of pink blossoms. The last two were taken this morning, and a glorious morning it was. I picked two sacks of spinach -- one of bigger leaves to be processed and the other of young leaves for salads.] KW
[The first three pictures I took on yesterday's walk to the mailbox and illustrate spring yellows. Photo 4 is of the wild rose Hallie pruned last fall. It's sporting a couple of pink blossoms. The last two were taken this morning, and a glorious morning it was. I picked two sacks of spinach -- one of bigger leaves to be processed and the other of young leaves for salads.] KW
Oh my such brilliant color. A perk of living in the glorious northwest. Congrats on the new camera. I often wonder why they pack cameras (& computers) with a gazillion bells & whistles. I'll bet only 2% of camera owners ever use all the features. I'm always fiddling with the flash on & off feature (indoors it isn't always needed in daylight), but that's about it.
ReplyDeleteLooking at your fenced garden & thinking about your deer neighbors made me imagine a scenario. You might wake up some morning to the sight of a young deer caught hanging on the fence (front legs on one side, back legs on the other) crying for his mother to rescue him. Probably will never happen.
Enjoy the fresh spinach. Sounds wonderful. I'm on a "spinach binge" now. Can't get enough of it.
I have three pints of spinach in the freezer now - not that I intend to hoard it.
ReplyDeleteA simple fence does tend to deter the deer. They aren't aggressively determined. As we re-aligned our fencing pieces the other day, Mike commented, "This will keep out anything but a giraffe."
One of the features of the AW100 -- when taking a "portrait," it can be set so that picture doesn't "snap" until subject smiles. As far as I'm concerned, I just want to take pictures of something I see and want to share -- and often we need to work quickly to get that picture. On the other hand,it might be fun to take some panoramas.
And my spinach is still in the baby salad stage - lucky you-all! Glad you got a nice new camera Kathy.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pictures!!! (When we travel to places known for beautiful scenery, I always think, "This is nice, but nothing more exceptional than what I can see every day at home.") And your photos prove it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a new camera!
Frankly, Dr. Molly, I thought the spinach sat there quite a while not doing much, but when it took off, it developed beautifully crisp, crinkly leaves. I bought some questionable seeds this year just because that's where I was when I happened to think about needing seeds. I dunno -- I feel a bit conflicted about this choice.
ReplyDeleteChris -- I feel the same way about our locale. We were driving the Gilbert Grade one day when Hallie exclaimed, "It's beautiful here!" And my comment was that in my travels I hadn't found a spot I thought was more beautiful than the Clearwater Valley and surrounding country.
That said, it's good to look for, appreciate, and encourage beauty everywhere.
Took a 2nd look at the wild rose. That is one happy bush! So lush & green. I'm sure it will proudly reveal more blossoms soon.
ReplyDeleteFood for thought. Next time those of you that live in or near small towns wish your X (fill in the blank) store had a larger selection, be thankful. You enjoy stunning vistas wherever you look (or shoot your camera) and that, of course, is because the population density is low. Okay, the real reason is that the northwest is just plain beautiful.
I have lived in Los Angeles & Orange County, Calif. for 30 years. I can buy anything (really) that man has manufactured in the gazillion stores in this horribly dense urban area. The downside is that it's hard to admire the blue sky & open vistas when they are almost non-existent. Yes, I can see blue sky, but that is when I look straight up (smog is around the horizons). When it rains in the winter here, the views of the mountains covered in snow are spectacular. I have adjusted to this strange land, though & enjoy life here. Open spaces...no. Winter weather...no. Coats...no. It's a good safe place to retire.
I hope the rose bush does bloom because Hallie has her heart set on it. Those wild roses are prolifically prolific. I'll bet that bramble is ten individual bushes packed close together. And does it ever have thorns!
ReplyDeleteWe have to take the bitter with the sweet wherever we are. Ironically, I had just remarked to Mike this afternoon that when I was little, we ordered a lot of things because we couldn't buy them locally. Then, in the '60s, things loosened up a bit -- more goods were available in the region. Now it seems we're back to ordering. For instance, Macy's carries a small kitchen appliance I want but not at the local store. I have to order it.
You do have to get to the metropolitan centers in order to find good shopping.
A giraffe, huh? Methinks I know which fence Dad referred to, and I'll have him know that those branches poking out of the fence last year got nibbled! I spread "prevention" liberally because "cure" is hard to come by. :)
ReplyDeleteHallie, you think your dad was talking about the fencing around the cherry tree. We did made that more stable, and we did wonder how long this little tree will need protection from the deer. The deer didn't bother the old trees, as I recall, but I pointed out that the birds will eat the cherries in a hurry and some structure for the netting is good.
ReplyDeleteNo, your dad was talking about the big tire. That fencing is particularly tall.