These faces are happy!

These faces are happy.  Do you want to know why?

These faces have just discovered that the $700 camera, that minutes ago was bouncing down the 5 freeway still works.  It's a Christmas miracle!!

Here is the scoop:  some idiot (named Nicole) left her camera ON THE TOP OF HER CAR (!!!!) and merrily drove away to take pictures at the beach.  Now I could go on and on about how dumb I am, but I have decided to be nice to myself.  It could happen to anyone, and besides- that camera is truly just stuff.  Nothing is eternal but our relationship with God.

I am getting on the freeway and something begins to rumble around on the roof.  One glance in the rear view mirror and there it is- my beloved Canon rolling out of my life, narrowly dodging Firestone's and Goodyear's.  I turn to Amber and choke out, "That was my camera.  It's gone."

I feel numb.  I rely on that camera.  Nicoracle Photography is nothing with out my camera!  And besides, how could I be so stupid?   At the same time, there is a sense of peace.  All things happen for a reason, and if I lose my camera at least I can be thankful that I've never lost a limb and I have plenty of great friends and family to commiserate with.

"We have to go back!"  Amber exclaims.  By that time we are already coming up on the next exit.  "There's no point.  It's too late, I am sure it is in pieces by now.  Anyway it is not important.  All that is important is that we are safe and I am not about to go running across the freeway to pick up a mangled hunk of metal."  The voice from the passenger seat persists and finally I oblige, feeling hopeless.

I loop back to our original on ramp and this time take it slow, looking for debris.  To my utter shock my camera is sitting pretty, perfectly on the traffic line between lanes.  I park on the shoulder and turn to Amber.  "Stay here.  Don't get out of the car for anything.  Even if I get run over and die.  DON'T GET OUT OF THE CAR!" 

The on-ramp lane (that I need to cross) is sparsely trafficked, but in the next lane cars are passing at full speed just inches from my camera.  I picture me bending down to pick it up and my head being smashed by some sedan and rolling down the freeway just as my camera had done minutes earlier.  "I'll cut my losses and get out of here.  It's not worth taking my life into my hands."  Before I can turn to head back to the car another car passes, but this time the door to the memory card blows open and I am reminded that my memory card may still be usable, even if the camera is not.  

I stare at the camera.

The camera stares at me.

Finally I see an opening in traffic that looks long enough for me to run out and pick it up.  I am going for it!

My mind is a blur and the next thing I know I am running back to the car, camera in hand!!  Amber is clapping and screaming.  The President hands me an award for my bravery and determination.  OK, well maybe the celebration didn't go that far.

I sit safely in the driver seat of my car and take that first fateful picture.  It works!!  Unbelievable!  The second picture is a bust.  The automatic focus is not working, but the camera seems to be working in manual mode.  Wow.  I had been thinking of switching to nikon, but if my Canon can take a beating like that and make it through, then I am loyal for life!

Here are some more of the pictures we took that fateful day, on my limping, but strong, camera...