My daughter's little Nikon Coolpix 2100 has been a great camera, but the plastic latch that the battery door slides into broke. Nikon wanted $95 + shipping to repair the darn thing, which is more than we paid for it!
This is the offending part - cheap plastic holding a spring-loaded door. A poor design, one which affects the 2100, 3100, and 3200 models - and one which Nikon changed in later models.
A glob of JB Weld, an epoxy with metal mixed in for extra strength. The stuff is versatile, easy to use, and strong.
This is a piece of silver wire I just happened to have on hand - I bought a roll to repair my Rosary a while back (yes, I really am cheap... er, I mean frugal). I attached it to the remaining latch with the epoxy, and tested it once the epoxy set. I then used more epoxy to fill in around and beneath the wire, so that the door would close and latch properly. An inexpensive and relatively elegant solution (I've seen some repair efforts that involve all sorts of external clamps and screws). My daughter is thrilled to have her camera back.
A side benefit of our recent trip to Monte Vista was the purchase of some nice potatoes, which happened to be purple in color. I thought of our upcoming Friday evening soup and bread supper at our Parish (this normally follows Evening Prayer, and precedes the Stations of the Cross). I thought it might be fun for the kids, and certainly it would be the proper liturgical color!
The image above shows one uncooked potato with the skin intact, one peeled. I learned that to keep the color, the potatoes should be baked or microwaved, then added to the soup stock (in our case, for Lent, we use either just plain old water or a home-made vegetable stock). I found there is less waste if the potato is cooked skin on, then peeled before being added to the stock. Some herbs and salt, a little milk to make it creamier, and you have purple soup.
Most thought it tasted very good. One young lady wouldn't try it because of the color. The purple potatoes have a little different flavor, perhaps a bit sweeter.
Not normal home-school stuff here, but let me tell you a little story....
We took a long weekend to drive down into the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. Sandhill Cranes migrate through this area in the spring, and it is a sight to behold. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of the birds in the fields and in the air. If you have never heard their call, check out this video.
The festival is always fun, the kids get to eat, shop, view the cranes, and maybe even learn a little about birding. And, frankly, the trip down there is through some beautiful countryside, the sight of these magnificent birds against the snow covered peaks is awesome, and the entire experience is great! Don't expect to find gourmet food or five star lodging, but do expect to find friendly people.
So where does the Marine Corps fit into this story?
As we descended into the valley, my attention was on the road, as a driver ahead of us was pulling over to the shoulder. My wife exclaimed, "Did that just happen, or is it old?" I looked where she was looking, and saw the overturned car. It was still smoking/steaming, so I pulled over and called it in. She hopped out, and started back to the wreck, and I turned our car around and drove back to the accident site.
When I got out, I handed the phone to my wife, and headed toward the wreck, hoping that the first aid I learned a hundred years ago in Boy Scouts would suffice. There were two women at the scene, with one man laying on the ground. I was relieved when one of the women told the man on the ground that she was trained in emergency first aid and CPR. I asked if there was anyone else in the car, and yes, there was a woman in there. She was being helped out, so I escorted her up the grade to the side of the road.
When I returned, the first woman was trying to get the man to his feet. "Should we move him?" asked the second woman. "From my experience with overturned, smoking vehicles in the Marines - yes, we move him. If that car blows up, we don't want to be near it."
OK, if she wasn't in charge of this scene before, she is now. I helped her get this man to his feet. Once he was up, head bleeding, dazed, he looked at me and politely said "Hello". We must observe the proprieties, mustn't we. I grinned and kept him moving.
When we had him to the road side, another danger was evident - we are away from the possible fire, but the danger of a car hitting one of the parked cars was high, as we were just past a blind curve in the road. I sent my wife for our first aid kit, and our Marine started issuing more orders. She had already sent someone to a nearby house to phone emergency on a land line, and as she started to tend to this gentleman's head wound she said "I need someone to flag traffic." I took off - never in the military, but I know how to follow orders! When the emergency crews arrived they noted, pleased, that everything was already under control.
I regret I didn't get this woman's name, but I did shake her hand and thank her for her service. I also told her how lucky the injured man was to have her there. She humbly said she was just happy to be able to help. She is not currently enlisted, but she is a shining example of all the Corps represents.
As I told my girls, if I am ever in that kind of situation, send in the Marines!
I have committed to dancing at my daughters' recitals again this year. No, I am not a dancer - the instructor is patient, the dance fairly easy, and I pay attention, so I get by. Last year was a bit of James Brown (love the music, but I am as far from funky as you can get); the previous year was a Viennese Waltz to Chicago's Color My World.
At any rate, with that in mind, I came across a superb example of dance from a couple of fellows not normally known for dancing.
OK, another treat for those interested in mechanical devices - with an archaeological twist, as this mechanism is 2100 years old. It was designed to track cycles of the solar system, including eclipses, and as a bonus kept track of the four year Olympiad cycles. Read about its discovery and the amazing tools used to analyze the remaining fragments here.
Christian husband, father, sometime home school teacher, and business owner. Anglo-Catholic postulant, Acolyte, Licensed Lay Reader, Licensed Preacher, and Senior Warden. Most of the time a nice guy, sometimes a jerk, and often a pipe and cigar smoker - not necessarily in that order.
- and a great resource for catholic books, especially for your students. I particularly like the range of books on the saints that are geared toward the younger reader.
This is the offending part - cheap plastic holding a spring-loaded door. A poor design, one which affects the 2100, 3100, and 3200 models - and one which Nikon changed in later models.
A glob of JB Weld, an epoxy with metal mixed in for extra strength. The stuff is versatile, easy to use, and strong.
This is a piece of silver wire I just happened to have on hand - I bought a roll to repair my Rosary a while back (yes, I really am cheap... er, I mean frugal). I attached it to the remaining latch with the epoxy, and tested it once the epoxy set. I then used more epoxy to fill in around and beneath the wire, so that the door would close and latch properly. An inexpensive and relatively elegant solution (I've seen some repair efforts that involve all sorts of external clamps and screws). My daughter is thrilled to have her camera back.
