So what do you do on a rainy day when you get bored with splashing water up onto your bike? You go find more water, of course! While you're there, if you can haul a boat out of the river you get some bonus entertainment.
Dragging boats wasn't my original plan. This was a spur of the moment practice session with the G11. On a weather day like this nothing looks good to start with. There's a "cloudy day" setting on the white balance settings. I figured to check this out as well as some other settings. However, I had just barely gotten the camera fired up when the practice was interrupted.
Going with the settings I had on the camera, I snapped a quick shot. When three guys with shotguns approach, documentation can't hurt if your camera happens to survive you. Turns out they were duck hunters and I was in their way. They asked what the heck I was doing.
"I'm a photographer", I told them.
They nodded as if this explained everything. What kind of reputation do you photographers have, anyway?
I'd noticed their big pickup and boat trailer in the parking lot as I rode by. Actually, being the only other vehicle in the lot, it wasn't hard to miss. Feeling a bit cocky, I told them I could move the bike. On the other hand, we could save a bit of time. I'd just pull the boat out of the water with the bike and then we could lift the boat onto the trailer. Just be sure to secure the prop in the up position, first!
How hard could it be, after all? The trailer doesn't look much longer than the bike. I'll leave it to you to write your own ending.
A bit farther down the road this old house caught my eye. There was a guy working inside. This looks like one of my remodel jobs. It starts small. Then I pull off too much sheetrock. So I pull off a bit more so I can put a whole sheet back in. For some reason that doesn't work well so I take off more. Pretty soon the house looks like this.
I suppose that, even out in the country, there are people running around who might want to sneak off with your tools. Unless, of course, you have an alarm system.
Notice how the big lab is looking off towards stage left. There were a couple of guys walkng a small dog alongside the roadway. Sure enough, the lab sounded the alarm and charged. This would be a good time to steal tools, but I'm not wired that way. Dang. Figuring I would be documenting a dog fight, I swiveled the G11 that way. Check out the photo.
Look closely. The telling is in the details. You'd think the little dog would be concerned about the big lab. Notice, however, that the small dog is staring at me and ignoring the lab. Does that mean I'm an even bigger threat to the small dog than the lab is? The lab, in turn, is expressing no interest in the small dog. It's more interested in the dude in the white tennis shoes. Just what does he have in his pockets, anyway?
I can see I'm forever ruined. Now that I'm calling myself a photographer, I'll never see the world in the same way anymore. I'm gratified that I can still weave the tales, though!
Miles and smiles,
Dan
