Camera Bleg

Regular readers are probably tired of hearing this, but it is with great sadness I report that Official TUAK Camera #4 has bitten the dust.

Yes, Camera #1, donated by Canadian Momma/Grey Lady, died early of dirt in the zoom lens when I hadn’t learned not to carry it around in a cargo pocket.

Camera #2, donated by Claire, died more slowly of the same cause. I really was being more careful. Hey, it’s a desert. There’s dirt.

I forget who donated Camera #3 or exactly what happened to it. Probably something dirt-related.

Camera #4 belonged to my late father and was donated last year by Big Brother. It had some pre-existing damage but worked great until three or four days ago when nimble-fingered Joel fumbled it onto a concrete floor. Now I can still use it if I hold the battery door closed just right, but the lens housing was also damaged to the tune of painful noises as it tries to deploy, and the flash no longer coordinates with whatever passes for exposure and F-stop on a digital camera.

Alas: I was actually scheduled to go to the big town about 50 miles away this morning to purchase glaucoma meds, a new camera and more backer board. But it turned out I had just enough board and I really can’t afford a new camera, so I didn’t go. Maybe next month. Maybe not.

But if any regular readers happen to have an old digital point-and-shoot lying around that they’d care to donate to the cause, I’d be proud to proclaim it Camera #5.