dumb, dumb dumb dumb

Well, color me stupid, again

     As you may remember, I dropped my camera in Switzerland.  Destroyed the lens filter, but did not damage the lens.
     Got it repaired, but I have had trouble shooting in the manual mode, where I decide the shutter speed and f stops.  I could not get the shutter speed faster than 200.  That is not good.
     I asked a friend, and he recommended United Camera Repair in Moline.
     There is no shop in Rockford that repairs, they send  cameras out.  The folks in Moline promise free estimates, no work without approval, in house repairs most of the time.
     I drove to Moline today and went to the camera shop
     It is quite unimpressive.  Just a little store tucked into a row of stores.  One might have been a massage parlor, I am not sure.
     I went in with the camera and gave it to the man, he looked at it and gave me a brief lesson on how to use the camera.
     Why a lesson?  Because everything worked for him perfectly.  I had evidently put the camera in program mode, which will not allow for much change in the shutter speed.
     No repairs needed, no charge made.  The guy was really nice and took a lot of time to answer my questions and concerns. He even told me why I could not use automatic focus in certain instances, which I did not know about.  He was likeable and I would for sure go back to him.  He even carries bulbs for old slide projectors, which I may need.
     But I did feel stupid.
     We have friends who live in the area and I decided to contact them to see if they were available for a quick visit.
     Turns out they were.  Jackie went along, and we had a nice day in Moline, which impressed me a lot.  While Jim and I went to the camera shop, Jackie and Karen stayed in and visited.
     Jim and Karen use the bike path along the Mississippi regularly. There are some neat entertainment venues and restaurants, and it just seems like a good place to live.
     So it was not a wasted trip.  But it was a good opportunity to catch up with friends we have not seen in a while.
     Now if I can figure out a time to go back and ride my bike along the river......
Peace and Love