CURRENT LOCATION: Housesitting on the island of Culebra
When Sheryl and I first met, one of our mutual interests immediately became apparent. We both love to travel. What was different about us, though, was our focus on photographs. I had none, while Sheryl had created thorough documentation of every destination she has ever visited (note: if you check out the photos at
Sheryl's Trips, you can see some of the wonderful places she visited, in the pre-Doug era -- these represent a mere sampling of her vast collection of photos from these trips). When we first began to travel together, I was amazed with how many rolls of film she could shoot on a week-long vacation. When I suggest to you that hundreds of photos were taken, it is not an exaggeration.
Things have not changed much in the intervening time. Only the technology has improved. In 2004, I finally convinced Sheryl to abandon film and go digital. Although initially reluctant to give up her habit of printing, labeling, and creating a photo album of each trip within 24 hours of returning from a vacation, the freedom to take numerous photos and edit later was too much of a draw. The printed photos still followed for a while, but eventually they gave way to an internet photo sharing site.
Before departing for on this grand adventure, Sheryl purchased her second digital camera. It was an Olympus 720SW. The draw of this camera was its claim of being waterproof (up to 3 meters for 1 hour). In addition, it was shockproof (for those occasional drops on the cockpit floor) and just the right size to fit in one's pocket. She has carried it with her
everywhere for the past year and a half. It has been a faithful companion, both above and below the water, and has taken thousands of wonderful photos (the best of which are featured in the most recent photos on Sheryl's
Flickr Site). And this period has been a true test for a camera because now nearly
every week is a vacation's worth of photos.
Lately, the repeated saltwater soakings have begun to take their toll on the camera. Although it still works, several spots are corroding, including the opening to the battery compartment. There are also a few small water spots developing on the inside of the lens. The time has come. A new camera has been ordered and just arrived this weekend.
Sheryl decided to stick with the Olympus brand, and to purchase the new and improved version of her current camera. The Olympus 1030SW is waterproof up to 10 meters for 1 hour, is shockproof, has higher resolution capabilities, and is reported to record the depth of underwater photos. It also appears that they have made improvements in some of the corrosion-prone areas experienced with her current camera.
She has spent the day taking some test shots (above water only, thus far). From here forward the new images appearing on our blog and Flickr site will be the result of this, one of our most necessary pieces of equipment.
Here are a few sample photos for your enjoyment:
P.S. In this blog posting, the reflection upon days gone by was brought to you courtesy of the fact that Sheryl and I just celebrated our fifth anniversary of marriage yesterday. I suppose that the occasion engendered nostalgic notions on the part of this blog author. Of course, there is no time like the present, and for us the lives we are living together here in Paradise is the best anniversary gift we could ever hope to give each other. Let's hope that the next five are as exciting and enjoyable as these last have been.