Who could possibly resist the sweet bronze statue of Dirty Biter, one of La Conner's most famous canine residents? Well, I simply couldn't; I was mesmerized by the engaging replica that I encountered during my stroll through the quaint, colorful streets of La Conner. As the story has been told, Dirty Biter was everyone's most beloved dog in the small, waterfront town, and his favorite hangout was a First Street watering hole where a bar stool was especially reserved just for him. Unfortunately, Dirty Biter's life came to an abrupt end in a brutal dog fight in 1982. Hence, a life-sized bronze statue was made in his honor and now sits snugly on a metal bench next to the tavern he so often visited.
So as I said, I was mesmerized by this piece of art and couldn't quite take my eyes off his life-like image. As I began to step away, my eyes still glued to that protruding tongue hanging from his smiling mouth, I neglected to see the bicycle rack in front of me. Suddenly I found myself teetering on top of the rack, suspended by a screw that was extending from one end and had snagged my pants. It held me prisoner as I squirmed helplessly trying to free myself from the sharp weapon that was ripping my pants and cutting into my skin. To no avail, I was unable to escape. Suddenly I heard a crash and watched helplessly as my camera shattered on the ground in front of me. My travel buddy stood next to me, frozen in space, watching in shock as the camera settled onto the hard, stone surface...
Yep...here's the result of my mishap...a camera that I was unable to use for the remainder of my trip. Upon my return home, the doc looked it over, removed the smashed lens cap thereby revealing the shattered polarizing filter. My immediate thought was whether or not my favorite and oh-so-costly lens had been scratched and whether or not the camera still functioned...
After minor surgery to remove the filter, I reattached the lens and tried it out. It seems to work fine although it squeaks a bit when the autofocus is engaged. The doc suggested to keep on using it. Only time will tell what the true extent of its injuries are...
What lessons can be learned from this rather comical and quite possibly expensive mishap? Always put your camera away in its shockproof camera bag and for heaven's sake, look where you're going!
Very soon the Farmer's Market will be back at Forest Home Farms on Saturday mornings. I can't wait!
