Saturday, January 26, 2008

Doo Dah Parade

Well, after living in SoCal for over 50 years, I finally went to the annual Doo Dah Parade in Pasadena. And boy, was I ever glad I did! Take a look at this picture and you'll understand. Go on, take a closer look, no one's watching.
The Doo Dah Parade is a "politically incorrect" parade that lasts about two hours. You'll see everything from political commentary (I don't think there was a Republican in the bunch), to alcohol and marijuana advocation, to just plain weird stuff -- all with a few non-uniformed bands (OK they had hats). It was a really fun experience that I'll be sure to do again.
I went specifically so I could try out my new Nikon D300 camera body. After about 20 minutes, the autofocus stopped working and the shutter would not trip. Tried flipping switches, turning the camera on and off, removing and reinstalling the lens, and cursing. Nothing helped. The only way I was able to get through the day was by focusing manually.
Next day, I took it to Nikon in El Segundo. Of course, by then, it was working and they couldn't duplicate the problem. They suspect it was caused by a poor ground between the lens and the camera, so they cleaned it and gave it back to me. Let's hope they're right.
OK, time to look at the picture again. Have you noticed the lady second from the right? You can probably use "Control, +" to zoom in (and "Control, 0" to return to normal view).