I remember it like it was yesterday...
Me, Ryan, and Jesse had spent all day hiking. We walked for miles to the different creeks, caves, and hills that are around where my family lives. I took numerous pictures, we saw many sights, and it was a truly great time.
As we were hiking back up an EXTREMELY steep hill, Ryan got a phone call saying that he had to go pick up his sister, Kirstin and bring her to our house. I remember watching Ryan run half a mile all the way back to my house, up a steep hill, past a dead opossum, and down our super long driveway. After he had gotten cleaned up and left, I spent the next 20 minutes cleaning myself up and cleaning off my camera card.
Ryan and Kirstin eventually got back to my house. After a little bit of visiting and showing Kirstin some of the pictures I took, Kirstin and I decided that we'd go for a little hike of our own. I put back on my already wet and muddy shoes, grabbed my camera once again, and off we went!
We hiked all the way to the back of our property and up a huge hill, where there was a herd of cows grazing in a pasture. Me, being the fool that I am, I decided to see how close I could get to the cows and took some pictures while I was at it. My dear friend Kirstin, whom I love dearly, was a coward that day.
Kirstin: "AMANDA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
Me: "Um...aren't cows supposed to be running AWAY when humans are around and not coming TOWARDS them?!"
I turned away from Kirstin just long enough to get a picture, and by the time I turned back around, she was already halfway down the hill, running and laughing at my stupidity as a huge bull suddenly started trotting closer to me. Sensing that my welcome was worn, I took after Kirstin.
Once safely on the bottom of the hill and back in the woods, me and Kirstin decided to head back towards the house. As we were walking by a creek, I was talking about something when I bent over to get something. I can't recall what it was exactly that had caught my attention, but what happened next was 100% pure nightmare.
As I bent over, my unzipped camera bag(which was not only holding my camera, but also some spare batteries, a coupon for a free ice cream cone at Sonic, and some change) slid off of my shoulder and RIGHT INTO THE WATERY CREEK.
I screamed. I have never in my life screamed as I did at that moment. I snatched my bag back up, took my dear, sweet camera out, and dummy me, I turned the thing on. The lens was completely waterlogged; It was like my camera had turned into a snow globe, the water swishing around everywhere. None of the buttons would work, no flash, no macro, nothing.
I don't know how Kirstin felt during all of this. I know she was sort of timid acting, and I remember quite clearly what she said to my mom once we got back to the house.
"Yeah, I've never heard her scream like that before."
It wasn't until we were back on my deck, retelling what had happened to my mother that I started crying. For anyone who knows me well, they know that I hate crying and I NEVER cry over anything. Anything, that is, except for losing a loved one.
Once back inside(and done crying. i couldn't have ryan and jesse seeing me all wimpy), Mom set to work drying out my camera. She took it apart, set pieces out on paper towels, and set it in front of a running fan. It was an awful feeling not having a camera in hand, but I trusted that Mom would try whatever she could to fix my camera.
A few days passed, and each day was progress. One day at a time, something would start to work. First the macro, then the view finder, then the flash. My camera was coming back to life, all thanks to Mom!
That little event happened over a year ago, and I'm pleased to say that my camera is fully healed and still fully functional. Actually, I think it took better pictures after it's dip in the creek, but that's not to say that I'm glad I dropped it. Me and my first Canon have been through a lot together. And even though I have a newer and better camera now, that new camera has a lot to live up to. ♥
