Thursday, October 16, 2008

Miracles do happen...

You have to know me and creative filing system, which is to say it's creative to the point of non-existence...good intentions, but a failed mission most of my life.

My little Canon S2 which takes dramatic macro shots I've posted herein a lot, has developed a month-long problem that has ended in the lens stuck out and "E18" displayed on a black screen in the camera. Dead in the water. Looked up "E18" on line and found that a good many Canon users have run into this problem, and it's no cheap fix.

The title of this entry is because I actually found my extended warranty plan which I rarely buy and usually don't recommend. I bought it in June of 2005 when I was in Rapid City, South Dakota, and actually got the 4-year plan which is really something I don't mess with; however, knowing I was all over that beautiful landscape in all kinds of conditions, it was worth it to have an 'insurance' policy instead or replacing the camera from a mishap.

For most (read 'normal') people, you have a place you put such important documents. I did to...only I couldn't remember where. Cross-country moves don't help matters, and I had a 'visual' picture of it but couldn't place where. Lo and behold, today's miracle unearthed itself before the sun rose as I found what I needed to run by Best Buy when it opens.

NOW the trick will be to see how well their customer service handles it...the S2 has long been replaced by the S3 and now the S5, which I would happily take as a replacement. To send the camera off for 2-3 months while they look for excuses not to repair it under warranty will not make me a happy camper as much as I use the camera (when it worked!). Rest assured I'll keep you posted, and I hope it will be a two-thumbs-up!

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And quickly to a flute that has been sitting for over a year, a closed-end flute with a snake coming out the end...the flute body is Poplar, and I'll let you imagine how long it took to burn in the entire flute to make it look like a log (click pic to enlarge).

Originally I was going to make it a black rat snake, but once I had my little encounter with the Canebrake rattler I blogged about a while back, I felt compelled to reshape the head and start blocking out the paint patterning. I have a long way to go, but the painting is the fun part, and the quick-drying acrylics work just great.

Naturally, I'm gonna hear it from my mom about making something with snakes on it...even some flute players don't care to handle flutes with snakes on 'em, but I figure that's their problem. And because earlier this summer I watched a hawk just after it caught a snake and was sitting in a tree tearing up it's meal, I had this idea for a block....

...from a piece of cedar I found that, with minimal shaping around the head, looked like a hawk to me. That's been sitting around waiting for the cows to come home, as well...but I found a nice tip to a small log that made for a nice natural perch for it...and so I'll have the hawk on the block eyeing the snake that, I bet, it passes on...

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