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

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!!

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.

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

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

ABOUT THE ONLY THING GROWING OUT HERE ARE CREOSOTE BUSHES

HEY THERE’S A MOUNTAIN IN THEM THERE CLOUDS

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…………….. 

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

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

THAT’S OUR RIG BELOW DEAD CENTER

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

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

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

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.

CALICOS IN A MALL ALONG WITH OTHER STORES

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

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.

True 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.

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.

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

SPOTTED THIS CHURCH FROM THE BARGAN BARN PARKING LOT AS WELL

THIS IS THE CLOSEST THING WE SAW TO SUNSHINE ALL DAY

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’. 

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.

WORKING ON GETTING OUR SATELLITE TV UP AND RUNNING

A RAINY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AT OUR HOUSE

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

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:))

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.    

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.

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!"