Lucky

So as I mentioned in my last post there was a camera kerfuffle. I left my camera out in the rain by accident of course. This picture was what I took with the camera seconds after I came in from the wet and cold. The camera was working ok but the picture was foggy...as you can see.
So I cried...and cried....and looked up tips online and tried my best to dry it off and out as quickly as possible. I thought and was told the camera was a goner. As a "what the heck" resort...I put the camera in a bowl of dried, uncooked rice for the entire Thanksgiving break (Wed-Sun) and I didn't touch it until we got home Sunday night. It appeared as though it didn't help but when I put the lense back on, the camera was clear. No problems...no fogging. I put the battery back in...and it turned on! Then I put the card back in and took some shots. It worked!!! Perfectly!!!!!
So now I am taking stock in what I have. My camera works...for now. We shall see if corrosion takes place. I have heard that sometimes things work fine and then corrosion blocks the shutter and it eventually kills the camera but here's hoping it was just condensation on the mirror from the drastic change in temperature. Long story short...I am one lucky woman.

oh...and here is the bowl of rice that may have saved my camera's life!

What I had going for me:

1-my camera did not get submerged in water...it was just in the rain
2- it was off and closed up lense cap on.
3- It did not appear to be wet inside the body of the camera just some condensation on the mirror.

Camera CPR

1- Dry off the outside of the camera
2-Take out the card and battery
3- Unhook the lense from the body.
4- Sit lense in a bowl of rice or pack it in Sil packets face down so that the water can drain out of it.
5- Use hair dryer to dry off body inside and out. Use on low setting.
6-Pack sil packs around body or place face down in a bowl of rice. Leave there for a few days. The longer it dries out the better.
7-Say a little camera prayer and hope for the best.

Oh and another quick tip I learned in this crazy awful experience...silicone packs...those little things that say don't eat... that come in shoes and purses...keep them! They are great to keep in your camera bag to keep out unwanted moisture. They are also something to pack your camera in if you were to ship it to be cleaned or brought back to life if you are so unlucky. So when shopping...keep those little things that aren't candy you won't regret it!

One Heck of an OOPS.

Ok so you might be wondering why I didn't post any pictures today. Well sadly my camera has been ruined. I got a new camera on my birthday this past summer. It is a Canon Rebel XS 1000D. Over the weekend I was out in the yard snapping pictures of my dogs and the neighbor kids rolling down their hill. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and I had just started raking leaves. I put my camera down for a bit while I raked and then at the end of the day I pulled all the yard stuff inside on our back porch. That night we started getting a bit of rain. It rained all day yesterday and all night. This morning I went for a walk with the dogs only to get caught in a downpour midway through our trek. I got inside and dryed everyone off. Then I realized I had left my work gloves outside on the bench under our big oak tree. I threw my boots on and ran out to grab them and just when I turned the corner of the tree...there it was....my beautiful Rebel XS soaked with rain. I grabbed it and ran inside. I tried drying it off with a towel and it seemed like it was going to be ok. Then I took the battery out and the card which were both dry. Then when I removed the lense I saw the real problem. The inner workings of the camera were fogged. Really fogged. I tried putting it infront of a hair dryer and I called the local camera repair shop for advise. There is little that I can do. No more camera. Lesson learned. I will be looking into replacing what I have lost but it probably won't be for awhile. Cameras are costly...especially the good ones. It was the nicest gift I have ever gotten and I ruined it.

For those of you who think this can't happen to you learn a lesson from me. I am someone who takes care of everything I own from clothes to shoes to ipods/ camera you name it. I am very good about keeping things safe and protected from the elements. This is something completely out of the ordinary for me but it happened and it can happen to you too. Go with your instincts. Put things back when you are done with them and never ever leave stuff to your memory. From now on I will be more careful.

Italy

My Mother-in-law has just arrived in Italy and it reminded me of my trip 2 years ago. I remember such beautiful colors and clear crisp air. I went to the Amalfi Coast and spent most of my trip just snapping pictures of everything. It was absolutely amazing there. So much history and so much culture and the FOOD! Oh do I miss the food. Here are some tid bits from my trip. Enjoy!

Source of Light

This was taken at the B&O train museum. This is an old passenger car and the light was coming through in a really interesting way so I thought I would take a shot. To me it looks like any second someone could step into that light.

Wee!

This was taken just as the sun was coming down on a beautiful fall day. JP took a slide in the leaves. Looks like fun huh?!

Son

This is a picture of JP. He is what I call a gift. His mother's tried so hard for so many years to have him. They faced so much heartache and strife to bring him into this world...and here he is. Our little miracle boy. We took him to the train museum and this is him waiting in line to get on the "Big Choo Choo!"

Are we there yet?

This is the backseat of our truck on a long ride to Rochester NY for Halloween. Funny huh?

Halloween

This is such a fun picture of this little dude. Lucas is a friend's son and he was so excited to go trick or treating. I love this "I can't contain myself!" look in his eyes! Cutie.

Bright Star

fare thee well my bright star

i watched your taillights blaze into nothingness

but you were long gone before i ever got to you

before you blazed past this address

and now i think of having loved and having lost

but never know what it's like to never love

who can say what's better and my heart's become the cost

a mere token of a brighter jewel sent from above

fare thee well my bright star

the vanity of youth the color of your eyes

and maybe if i'd fanned the blazing fire of your day-to-day

or if i'd been older i'd been wise

too thick the heat of those long summer evenings

for a cool evening i began to yearn

but you could only feed upon the things which feed a fire

waiting to see if i would burn

fare thee well my bright star

it was a brief brilliant miracle dive

that which i looked up to and i clung to for dear life

had to burn itself up just to make itself alive

and i caught you then in your moment of glory

your last dramatic scene against a night sky stage

with a memory so clear that it's as if you're still before me

my once in a lifetime star of an age

so fare thee well my bright star

last night the tongues of fire circled me around

and this strange season of pain will come to pass

when the healing hands of autumn cool me down.

-Indigo Girls

Second attempt Moon shot. Taken Halloween night on Hoover Rd. Rochester, NY.