Yesterday my husband and I went to Columbia, about a hundred miles southwest, for a doctor's appointment. It was a beautiful day in the high 50s; a bit breezy but with a tinge of the smell of spring on the air.
On the way home to Hannibal, we decided to go through a small town we lived in 25 years ago to see how much it'd changed.
I hadn't taken my Canon digital camera with me. It's pretty bulky compared to my older Sony Cyber-Shot, which I hadn't even picked up since getting the Canon. I admit I did glance at the camera in its bag on the dining room table as we gathered up our coats and left the house, but I didn't pick it up.
Because I was silly enough to go any distance without a camera, I missed probably the best photo I would have ever taken... if only I had taken it!
Let me describe the picture to you, so at least seeing this little slice of life in America isn't completely wasted.
In a ranch style house's driveway sat a late 60's vintage Chevrolet pickup truck. In the bed, neatly sitting in rows and packed in so tight that another one would never fit in, were at least a dozen upright vacuum cleaners of every vintage, color and handle style. In 1968 the color of the truck would've been "red," but after many years in the sun, hauling who knows what besides vacuums, it had come to be the color "old clay pot." The vacuum bags were every hue - some even plaid.
Instantly I saw the photo, almost screamed because I had no camera, and even saw the caption before my eyes: "This Truck Sucks."
Today I dusted off the flat little Sony Cyber-Shot, put in a fresh set of batteries, and stuck it in our glove compartment. From now on, like a good Scout, I'm prepared.
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Comments: 27
I frequently see something that makes me wish I kept my camera in the car all the time.
Yup, that's the other part. I always have 3 sets of batteries, one in the camera and two in this little plastic battery carrier. I've been in the position where the perfect shot is happening and the juice dies, and when I open up the bag the spares aren't there. That'll never happen again, either!
I'd keep the damn thing in my purse.
Mariana, back in the "old days" of film, I did keep a throwaway in the car, but got out of doing that when I got my first digital. I won't leave home without it anymore, though.
Roy, I'm not nearly as prolific with photos as some of the photags here, and it seems like I'm buying one of those huge packages of batteries just about every time I hit the discount store. I always buy the name brands, but my new camera takes four. It's worth it, though. Think how much we used to spend on developing. Probably none of us took nearly so many pictures, either.
Mel, We have to go back through the same town in a month. I'm going to be looking for the vaccuum guy!
Ina, I might as well through it into the purse, there's everything else in there!
Oh and regarding the real gist of the article, you did a great job of describing the shot.
Debbie, I'm still here slapping myself upside the head about the cameras in the phones!
Grems, We have a set of rechargeables, too. Between all of our electric toys and clickers, we use it all.
Marianne, I bet you always have yours with you. You miss very few good chances.
Btw--SO loving your hat ;-)
I wouldn't store a digital camera in the glovebox. My last camera got fried because I left it in the car on a hot day. I carry it with me everywhere and didn't think to take it out when I went to work on a client's garden. Nope- not a good idea.
You're right, snow sucks - we got some today, lucky us.
Marilyn
Earlier this week I drove to Niagara On The Lake (on business) and 15 minutes into the journey I realized I didn't have my camera. My thought at the time was because it's February and so dull and gray, I wouldn't miss it. Ten minutes later I drove by a vineyard that was full of beautiful Vietnamese workers pruning the grape vines, all in winter gear with their faces and hands covered. Every one of them was wearing that wonderful identifiable Conical Hat the Vietnamese wear. And it had started to snow. I'm not clever enough to come up with a caption on the spot but I would have loved that photo.