Thursday, December 22, 2016

CAMERA STRAP BREAKS AND MY NIKON D3100 AND ATTACHED TELEPHOTO LENS CRASH TO THE ROCKY GROUND

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Rain continued through most of the night and a check of the weather site showed it to be a large slow moving front mainly centered over southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico.  I was wishing I had thought to set up our TV satellite dish upon arrival here at Borrego’s Clark Dry Lake Bed Wednesday afternoon.  Darn!!

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OUR FIRST PEEK OUT THE WINDOW AT 6:45 A.M. LOOKING SOUTHWEST TOWARDS OUR NEAREST RAIN SOAKED NEIGHBOR

Stepping out with Pheebs in the predawn darkness under a never ever before new umbrella I tried to remember back to any time in my past 72 years that I might have had occasion to use an umbrella before.  I came up empty minded.

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WITH A BREAK IN THE RAIN AROUND 7:30 I VENTURED OUT IN MY PJ’S FOR A FEW QUICK PHOTOS

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OUR NEAREST NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH WITH A CLOUD BANK HANGING LOW AT THE FOOT OF THE SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS

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ABOUT THE ONLY THING GROWING OUT HERE ARE CREOSOTE BUSHES

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HEY THERE’S A MOUNTAIN IN THEM THERE CLOUDS

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WE WERE BRIEFLY ENCOURAGED BY WHAT LOOKED LIKE CLEARING SKIES BUT THEN THE DAY JUST UP AND WENT INTO THE DUMPSTER

On our walk along the base of nearby Coyote Mountain this morning I had a real close call with my Nikon D3100 camera and attached 300mm lens.  Walking casually along a rocky path I felt a sudden lurch followed instantly by the sound of something crunching into the ground at my feet.  My faithful Black Rapid camera strap had just broke and my camera and newer 6 month old telephoto lens were upside down on the path.  Not good but upon picking it up I didn’t determine any obvious damage except a couple prominent scrapes on an older lens hood I had fortunately put on the new lens.  A few later test shots and things seem to be Okay but we’ll see.  It was the metal clasp at the camera end of the strap that broke and I guess I just plumb wore it out.  Had I been walking on concrete or climbing over jagged rocks both my camera and lens would probably have been toast.  To replace that camera and lens with new equipment would probably tear up a thousand dollar bill pretty good.  A very lucky break for me for sure.  But now what??  I can’t afford a cheap fix and run the risk of my camera and lens falling again.  Replace the Black Rapid strap with another one and if so we don’t have a permanent address now to have a new strap shipped to.  Carrying that heavier camera and lens around by hand is not an option and the only strap I like for that camera and lens is the Black Rapid one.  Oh Dear, always something eh……………..  DSC_0013

TEMPORARILY PUT BACK TOGETHER FOR THE PHOTO, THAT OVAL RING ASSEMBLY WHICH CLIPS ONTO A SCREWED IN FIXTURE ON THE BASE OF THE CAMERA PULLED AWAY FROM THAT METAL RETANGLE RING ATTACHED TO THE BLACK STRAP…..BECAUSE I USE AND CARRY MY CAMERA AND HEAVIER TELPHOTO LENS SO MUCH IT EVENTUALLY WORE THE HOLE LARGER AND LARGER UNTIL THIS MORNING THE OVAL METAL RING PULLED AWAY FROM THE RETANGULAR METAL RING

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OUR MORNING WALK GAINED US A WEE BIT OF ELEVATION AND I WAS ABLE TO COUNT ABOUT 35 RIGS SCATTERED ABOUT

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THAT’S OUR RIG BELOW DEAD CENTER

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I THINK THAT IS BOBM’S BURGUNDY TRUCK AND AIRSTREAM OUT THERE

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FROM A DISTANCE WE THOUGHT THIS WAS SOME KIND OF DEAD ANIMAL BUT UPON CLOSER INSPECTION IT WAS A LARGE ROCK

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IT WAS HERE WHERE MY CAMERA STRAP BROKE AND MY NIKON D3100 AND NEWER NIKKOR TELEPHOTO LENS CRASHED TO THE ROCKY GROUND

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COMING DOWN IS GENERALLY ALWAYS MORE TREACHEROUS THAN GOING UP

Now as readers know I am not a shopper and the thoughts of idly shuffling and browsing around in stores bores me to tears but must say with this mornings dreary rain soaked deluge I was chomping at the bit to get myself into a few Borrego Springs stores just to wander myself around looking at stuff.  Any stuff, I didn’t care.  So with that quest in mind off we went splashing along all the way into town.  First stop was Calicos for a couple ‘Egg Pockets’ which they were sold out of so we had a couple scrumpdidilyistious Bacon and Cheddar Cheese Quiche.

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CALICOS IN A MALL ALONG WITH OTHER STORES

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FROM CALICOS PARKING LOT I CAUGHT A BRIEF RAINY GLIMPSE OF THE CLOUD SHROUDED SAN JACINTO MOUNTAINS BEHIND THESE PALM TREES

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KELLY WITH COFFEE CUP IN HAND HEADS OVER TO FIX US UP WITH A SHAREABLE COFFEE AND HEY LOOK AT THOSE QUICHES EH:))

Next stop just across the road was the Frugal Coyote Thrift Store.  Needing a newer belt to hold up my trousers I didn’t find anything in small Elephant size but did come up with a pair of great waterproof Duck boots for sloshing around in the Hullett Marsh back home.  My time in the store……8.6 minutes.  Pheebs and my time waiting in the Jeep for my fellow browser…….32.7 minutes.

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DSC_0009True Value Hardware was the next stop on our list to see if Kelly could find a new tea kettle.  No luck.  My time in the store…….0 minutes.   Our time waiting in the Jeep……5.6 minutes.

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Around Christmas Circle we went whizzing for the third time and ended up at the Bargain Barn just down from the Red Ocotillo Restaurant. My time in the store helping to look for a tea kettle……2.4 minutes.  Our time waiting in the Jeep…….17.9 minutes.  Actually Pheebs and I spent 16 of those minutes walking ourselves around the parking lot dodging raindrops.

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FROM THE BARGAIN BARN PARKING LOT I SPOTTED THESE PALM TREES OVER ON CHRISTMAS CIRCLE

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SPOTTED THIS CHURCH FROM THE BARGAN BARN PARKING LOT AS WELL

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THIS IS THE CLOSEST THING WE SAW TO SUNSHINE ALL DAY

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It was shortly before Noon when we arrived ourselves back at the rig.  Seemed to be a bit of a lull in all that water falling out of the sky so I hauled out our Satellite dish and tripod.  Luckily we had saved the co-ordinates from previous boon-docking days here near Borrego Springs so I set it up and we nailed the orbiting satellite right off the bat.  I like when that happens but now that means we have Demon television going again and tonight I had clamp on my headphones and crank the Sirius Satellite radio to block out the sound of Kelly’s ‘night time shows’.  DSC_0010

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Rains kept it up on and off so we resigned ourselves to staying in the coach reading and computering.  It is rainy days like these when I really appreciate my blog because it gives me something to do and keeps me focused in a constructively creative sort of way.  We are so much enjoying ourselves at the moment without a whole lot of stress and strain stuff going on for a change.

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WORKING ON GETTING OUR SATELLITE TV UP AND RUNNING

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A RAINY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AT OUR HOUSE

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AND BY GOLLY I THINK WE KNOW WHO THESE FOLKS ARE WHO JUST PULLED IN NOT TOO FAR AWAY:))

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HEY WHAT’S THIS UPS TRUCK DOING WAY OUT HERE IN THE DESERT??  COULD THIS BE MY SOLUTION TO A CAMERA STRAP DELIVERY??

Well Okay so it’s been two and a half days since we sold our Congress Arizona house and resumed once again our RV travels after nearly 5 years.  I know it’s waaaaaay too early to be writing about our thoughts on things but it’s a long rainy day going on here and I’m scratching around for things to keep me busy and writing something, anything, fills in some time for me.  So here goes.  First off no regrets and sometimes knowing ourselves as well as I do that is not likely to change.  I know these past couple days have been like a travel honeymoon with me flooding my posts with words and photos and I also know that will level out at some point but in the meantime we are feeling very good about the way things have turned out for us:))

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YEP THAT’S OUR LITTLE WHITE RIG WAY OUT THERE

I wrote this following paragraph before hooking up our TV this afternoon……….. And I must say how nice it has been being out of the news loop since Monday morning as well.  Right now we basically have no idea what’s going on in the world and I am feeling that as a welcome reprieve from all the ‘you know what’!!  Yes we do have news channels on our Sirius Satellite radio but the only thing I want to hear coming from any kind of radio is music.  TV news is bad enough with all it’s doom and gloom let alone having to listen to the same schlocky stuff on a radio.    

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And a reminder to folks that Blogger-Fests third annual gathering will be happening again around the end of January in Quartzsite Arizona.  Like we used to say way back when, ‘Be There Or Be Square’.  I remember last year when it was over walking back towards our Motorhome with Retired Rod.  Last thing he said to me as we parted was “I’d get those O2 sensors checked (on the rig) if I were you”.  Thinking of you at Christmas this year Rod and wishing you all the best.

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WE SURE DO LOVE BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA AND HAVE BEEN COMING HERE EVERY YEAR SINCE DECEMBER OF 2008

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A physical instructor was giving practical demonstrations of various physical positions. He stood on his head and blood ran to his head making his face turn red. Later he asked: “When I turned upside down, blood ran to my face. Now tell me, why the same thing does not happen when I am on my feet?”
A back bencher replied: “May be because your feet are not empty?”

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Three young boys were fighting over whose dad was the best:  "My dad is so good he can shoot an arrow, run after it, get in front of it, and catch it in his bare hands."  "My dad is so good that he can shoot a gun, run after the bullet, get in front of it and catch it in his bare hands."  "I've got you both beat. My dad's so good because he works for the city. He gets off work at 5:00 and is home by 4:30."

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A man says to his friend: "My wife's credit card got stolen last week."  "That's a shame," says the friend: "have you told the police?"  "No way," says the man: "the thief is spending less than she did!"

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22 comments:

  1. Last winter when we were parked off Rockhouse Rd we saw the UPS truck delivering to a rig. You were real lucky with that camera.

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    1. True, UPS will deliver to Rockhouse Rd inBorrego Springs, but we prefer General Delivery at the post office.

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  2. We buy stuff from Amazon ( and other online places) while on the road all thentime. Just address them as follows:

    Al Bossence
    General Delivery
    Borrego Springs, CA 92004-9999

    Substitute the correct US Post Office and Zip Code if not sending to Borrego Springs. Cheers, Bob

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  3. You said you have no stress. Well, I sure had plenty when I read your title! What a relief to discover that your camera was not destroyed! Do hope you can get a replacement strap soon. And, hope Kelly finds her a tea kettle. I know from experience that a Canadian MUST have a tea kettle!

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  4. Go back to the hardware store and look at all the different clevis etc used for strap, chains and things. I bet a standard marine chain clevis would do the job. Have fun.

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  5. If the rest of the strap is still good you should be able to find something in the hardware store to jury rig the mount to the camera. Maybe a carabiner?

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  6. That is one area we enjoy too. General delivery works for us as well. So many other places to enjoy and relax now that you are back on the road again.

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  7. You shoulda gone after that UPS truck and ask them for my cheese.

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  8. Glad to hear your camera and lens survive. For some reason I never liked the strap when I bought my new D3200 a year or so ago but found it very comfortable to hold in my hand as we take the walks through the field. The lens might catch an occasional nose print from Sadie or Stella telling me they are having fun but so far that has worked out pretty well, even with thick fingered ski gloves.

    I loved your tracking of time for "in store" and "wait time". Enjoy the long posts and lots of photos although we both know how much work that is.

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  9. Well I gasped a little at your title too! Glad the cmera's ok. Should be something in the hardware store to jury-rig that, maybe those little detachable chain links? I too can't stand wandering around stores. Get whar I need and get out - but I need to remember to keep a book in the car for all those other minutes. How did you find that final cartoon of me?

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  10. Glad your camera survived. I carry a little larger one with a 28-300 lens. Dropped it on a bus and had to replace the lens. Now I replace the straps every three years ... much cheaper than that lens!!!

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  11. Just curious - do you need to run your generator, or are you 100% solar? Thanks

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  12. I dropped my D200 onto a stone floor in Mexico once. The flash popped up and would not stay closed causing me a minor panic. I took the battery out for a few minutes, put it back in and everything worked! They are tough cameras!

    How about a strong key ring and a zap strap? Or maybe a zap strap or two to keep the original assembly together? Whatever you do, test it for strength before trusting it with your camera. We would sure hate to lose all your great photos!

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  13. Sure happy to hear the Nikon and lens are AOK. Enjoyed all the pics of different things in this post. That UPS truck making an outback delivery was great.

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  14. Well you had me saying OH NO, OH NO, with your title. VERY glad to hear no damage was done. I just laughed out loud at your total times stories. I do the same thing only it's David in the store just looking at absolutely everything while I'm out in 2 minutes flat with only the thing I went in for. Too funny! We should send them shopping together and we'll hang out with Pheebs.

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  15. Well by golly that be us out here in the Anza Borrego desert. Would love to have you over but we both have nasty colds. Haven't even taken my camera out for a walk!

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  16. The title of your blog had me going!! I just knew your camera and lens might have broken. I was so relieved to read on and find out they are ok.
    Love your pics of the area!!
    What a shopper you are :-)

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  17. Had that happen to my laptop bag. Went to the section in Home Depot where they have all the metal snap hooks and got one of those along with a round ring that mounts with a screw. Attached the ring to the strap with the screw and then connected the ring to the bag with the snap hook. Looks good and will never break again.

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  18. Nope, we're still here. Our truck is white. At the moment we are the only Airstream left in the Rockhouse Trail boondocking area. Our other Airstream friends, Vince, Scott and Yolanda have all gone to visit relatives in distant parts. We're sitting here getting ready for another lousy weather day on Saturday! Probably do laundry. :-(

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  19. Oh my, so glad all is well with the equipment! I know that horrible sound :-( I think you may have covered all the stops in Borrego :-)))) Glad you're having rain instead of wind this year. Great pics of the desert. I'm not surprised you're both feeling good about how things worked out and where you are - you know what makes you happy!

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  20. I, like many others who left comments, was SO GLAD your lens wasn't toast. I've been using a Rapid Camera strap myself, so I had to take a quick look at mine. I'm ok so far.
    You should go to their website and see if they will do repairs. Those things aren't Cheap! Mine is probably 7 or 8 years old now and is the kind that slings over your opposite shoulder. Helps the weight on your back.

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  21. Thank goodness it's only the strap needs replacing at today's camera prices. Hope you can work out a delivery. Even with the foggy rain, I miss AB. Hope you made it to the Farmer's Market today. Lynda and Howard are out there somewhere. Wishing you three a Merry Christmas.

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