Still Hanging Out in California

It's been a bit rainy and overcast today and it got me thinking about other wet April days. Picnic Day is advertised as the largest collegiate open house in the country. The University opens up to show off to parents and prospective students and to entertain the town. The weather can be variable. Sometimes hot, sometimes chilly and sometimes amazingly perfect. These two pictures are from a year when it was wet and cold and nasty. But everyone was in good spirits, like the bad weather was an amusing challenge.

This boy was walking backwards and talking to me. He was fascinated by the underwater housing I had on my camera. I don't have that camera anymore. My husband lost it long ago. But I still have the plexiglass housing to remind to not spend so much money on another. I didn't use it nearly as much as I thought I would. A plastic bag and tape wouldn't have been as elegant but definitely a lot cheaper.

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Starbucks, downtown Los Angeles January 2014
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This shot was a hit at my photo club meeting last night. This is noteworthy for several reasons. The members are very interested in the latest gear and the latest software. Some of them are having second careers in art photography. A lot of them travel extensively.
This picture goes against all that. It was taken in San Francisco which is less than 70 miles away. It was taken with what is now referred to as a bridge camera(?). But the punchline… it was taken in 2004.
The camera was a Canon G6. This was my first serious (it cost $700US!) digital camera. And it was the beginning of the end for my film cameras. The sensor was tiny, 1/1.8. It had a fixed, 4x zoom. It was a lot of fun. And even though the camera was introduced 18 years ago and has a similarly small sensor, it still beats my 2020 iPhone. (That was the point I was making for the amusement of the club members)