I just picked up a Canon EF 100 f2.8 macro. Expect many tedious insect images.

I got there about 5-10 minutes after it started. The fire was about 15'x30' feet and there was a middle age man with a pot belly walking around in it and stomping on it. At first I assumed it was one of the many controlled burns that are done here in Colorado, but the location and timing of seemed critically stupid. It was placed at a trail head at the western part of El Dorado Canyon. Starting next to Chute road, it was a sloping grassland valley that heads strait for the front range. Further there was a wind moving from west to east, driving it like mad.

He hadn't called 911 yet, which I then ameliorated and the tried to assist and starting to get it out. Every time the wind gusted, the flames grew taller than I so it quickly became clear that being literally in the part that was burning was rather foolish, I switched to photo mode. The firefighters started to trickle in around 10-15 minutes later and really didn't going until about 45 minutes after I called. They had to bring in trucks with water tanks, because there wasn't any water sources available. Once they had shown up, I was shooed off the plain and was not allowed to accompany them down the valley.

The middle aged man with the belly started it by accidentally hitting a power line with a backhoe.

Photos incoming

Newspaper story
[link]

As you could guess my camera has been back in service since mid July, unfortunately I am currently out of service. Now that school has started I am either working or at school every day of the week until my last day of work on September 20th. Once done, I will have from Thursday evening to Monday afternoons open to shoo (thank goodness). I think I will hit up the Wheeler Geologic Area first.

I'm gearing to try to put on show of the Sand Dunes, we'll see how that turns out.

Suppose I should mention that I'm back now from the internet hiatus. They offered me 20$/mo internet and I couldn't say no.

I went to the Sand Dunes a few days back and first evening there my 30D decided that it was good place to die. It won't power up but the status light blinks once when I insert a memory card or when I insert a battery while a memory card is there. I called canon and it's all symptomatic of a faulty or loose wire. Here's for hoping it doesn't cost me a fortune to fix it. I don't want to replace it yet (in part because I don't have the cash) but also because I want to eventually make it an IR dedicated camera.

I'll still be shooting some MF film and maybe some 35mm, but it the costs add up :<

I'll be short internet at my current living location for the duration of the summer. I will still be checking my various accounts on-line around once a week.