Canon Fails The Test

Cleaned up the house this morning and waited till 11AM to venture out my road. Only one swampy spot still - which had already been driven through as usual. Met up with Chk&Kthy at the corner and picked up my returned G9. Made a run down to Study Butte while the gettin' was good to gas up, do laundry, and purchase refrigerant. While the laundry was on the line, I decided it was time to deal with the high summer sun. Last year when my panels at the house started getting shaded - I pulled them off the frames and laid them on the ground for 3 months. Solar panels are not very fond of any shading. By the time I got around to thinking about dealing with the situation, the sun was low enough again to just mount them back on the rack - giving me 9 months to not worry about it. Well now it's time to just deal with it.

Another good chance for an afternoon thunderstorm tomorrow so may shoot up to Alpine for a quickie first thing in the morning - need range feed, bird seed, more refrigerant, parts for the enhanced panel rack, and some grub. A big ol' storm just missed me this afternoon with more in the forecast coming up.

Fired up the newly returned G9 to check it out. Good news is it works just fine again and they got rid of the 2 big spots that were inside the lens. Bad news is - now there are 5 new little spots inside the lens and the battery slot was filthy...hmmmm. Don't these guys have a can of DustOff in their tool kit? At least the electronics work - If the dust becomes a major problem, I will crack that sucker open and clean it myself. Canon did the work for free (as a courtesy - their wording) but pretty much threatened that there is absolutely no warranty on the work performed and subsequent repairs will be non-gratis. My kingdom for a dust free digital camera! I am quite aware that I live in a very dusty environment, but this is a recurring problem for a large number of Canon users. I wonder if the cameras on the Mars rovers ever have dust problems inside the lens elements?

A very good day at the Field Lab....because unlike Canon, I met all my own expectations.

James Evans

Had my moment in the spotlight this week being photographed by famed Marathon photographer, James Evans. He made it out to the Field Lab by 9:30AM. I helped him set up the seamless (no wind to speak of this morning - thank God) Been ages since I touched an autopole or a superclamp! I think he really enjoyed the inconvenience of having to come all the way out here to shoot me for Texas Monthly....for a pittance. Had quite a few PA's on hand in the form of hungry longhorns milling about during the shoot.

Got some more letters peeled off the SW container in prep for the primer job. Managed to cut in one long side then the wind picked up but got only a few sprinkles. Interesting trying to paint in high winds...the paint either flys off the brush or starts to dry between bucket and surface.

Got word the other day that the Ol' G9 is on its way home - due to arrive Monday... that was too easy....

Dear John :
We are pleased to confirm that the service you requested on your POWER SHOT G9 has been completed and your equipment has been shipped to you on 13-MAY-09 .
Thank you for purchasing Canon products and for allowing us this opportunity to serve you.
Best Regards,Canon Factory Service Center

Special Note: Tomorrow night, Trevor Reichman (the Buck Owens of Terlingua) will be playing the Starlight ( weather permitting - 50% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow) Also on the bill is Darren Jessee and Sam Watts. Check it out - no cover charge for an excellent show!

Canon Service Center

Low of 62 - High of 111...humidity 8%. Last of the super hot days for awhile and the perfect day to get the hell out of here and do an Alpine run. Stocked up good and had a couple of hours of air conditioned comfort in the truck. Got home at 6PM and found my new neighbor ( Leon ) set up to camp on his land, nearby. He has some major hurdles to overcome before he will be able to build out here. Will try my best to point him in the right direction. Temps rose up to 87 inside today with the place shut tight and Pepino off. Wetted him down and fired him up and the place has been steadily cooling - now 78 degrees inside at 10PM. Photo of the day from May 08, last year.

Checked the email tonight and got this good word about my sick G9 from Canon:

Dear John :

We have received your equipment for evaluation and repair. Based on our initial examination, we will start the necessary repairs at no charge to you. You can expect the repair to be completed and returned back to you within approximately 7 business days* from the date shown above. There is no need to respond to this notice.Please note that in the unlikely event that any additional internal damage is found due to liquid/water, sand, corrosion, battery leakage or impact (such as dropping the unit), a revised estimate will be sent for your authorization, since these conditions are specifically excluded from warranty coverage.
Thank you for purchasing Canon products and for allowing us this opportunity to serve you.

Best Regards,Canon Factory Service Center

I will sleep well tonight....