Saturday was the Townsend Canoe Race, in which Becky and Ken participated as a mixed pair. They placed fourth in the mixed pairs category, and I was happy to be there to cheer them on.

I have some ***photos from the event|http://gallery.prwdot.org/canoe_race_2004***, but you may notice that they seem to end abruptly. That’s because my camera succumbed to the apparently-infamous ***E18 error|http://www.google.com/search?q=e18+error&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8***. This error, which I’ve found is widespread among lower-end Canon digital cameras, is caused when something gets in the way of the lens when it is retracting or extending from the camera body. The first time I noticed this error was during Jeremy and Angela’s wedding. Thankfully, it didn’t stop me from taking all of the photos I wanted to take at that event. It has been popping up now and again in the past month, and finally this Saturday it seems that my camera has a permanent E18 error. No amount of “whacking” as recommended by the websites I’ve found, nor any amount of changing the batteries, putting in a new CF card, or any other remedy seems to work. My next step is to contact Canon and to attempt to have them replace or repair the camera, as it is still covered under a 1-year warranty. Hopefully they’ll be able to replace it at no cost, or even a negligible repair fee. We really can’t afford to buy another new camera at this point.

Since my camera will be out of commission for a while, we’ll be bringing Becky’s Canon SureShot back into service for the photographing of Monday’s ***Boston Marathon|http://www.baa.org/BostonMarathon/***. Becky and I will be going in to try and catch a glimpse of her uncle Tom running the race, and to take in the general spectacle. Since we’re doing traditional film, this means the usual photo upload will be a bit delayed, so please bear with us.

Oh yeah – and Monday is the first day of my “unstructured time off” – the first time I’ve taken a week off of work with no particular plans to travel anywhere or do anything. Just going to hang out with Becky and relax. It should be nice. 🙂

Hope everyone else’s Sunday is as beautiful as ours! Sunny and 61 here in Beverly.