Monday, June 14, 2010

Where's reverse?

Recovering from a bit too much sun and a bit too much family togetherness this weekend, I'm in search of a good boat mechanic -- preferably one that knows how to find reverse and make it work on my (expletive removed) boat. Ahem.

Yes. It was the first time on the water this summer. All things went swimmingly (I thought). Until realizing, just a few moments too late -- as in after the boat was off the trailer and floating amongst 12 other boats at the launch ramp -- that HEY! I can go forward, but I need BACKWARD TOO!

Uh huh. Spinning in circles in a small pond of a launch ramp area while you try to figure out if you're just a (expletive removed) idiot who can't put the boat in gear. OR. If your reverse is broken! Yes. That's what I said. Reverse. Broken.

Forward worked fine. It went fast, too. Idle was not at all idle. It was still forward. Reverse? It was also forward. So there was an issue, to say the least.

I tried describing the situation to a boat-fixer friend by phone while floating in an idle zone, beer in hand. What should I do, I said, if the only way to truly stop the boat is cut the engine and throw the anchor? The answer: Hang on, especially when trying to get the boat back on the trailer at the end of the first-of-the-season boating day extraordinaire!

Helpful, that.

All's well that ends well, I suppose. The boat got back on the trailer. There were no parts or people harmed in the process. And I have a call in to the mechanic of my dreams.

We'll see how long it takes to get things moving in reverse again.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Standby to receive pics


I finally did it.

Months of window shopping and online review reading later, I bit the bullet today and bought what I hope is a fantabulous camera to get back into amateur photography.

I used to take tons of pics. In my mad-scrapbooking days, I had boxes and binders and photo sleeves full of subject matter from which to choose for page after page. Somewhere along the line, though, I put down the camera and rarely picked it up again.

Cell phone technology didn't help matters. If I "had" to, I'd snap a shot with the crappy built-in camera and maybe upload it at some point.

Too bad for me, because I've missed a lot of great shots through the years, especially from Zoe years 6-10. Ouch!

Now, with this excellent new piece of equipment over my shoulder, I hope to find my passion for photos again and take some frame-worthy pictures.

Let the grand experiment begin!